When a Dragon is Born
by XellossLina
Summary: Final Story Arc for the Yona/Jae-ha Alternate Chapters series, continued from the one shots 'What Do You Think of Me' 'Why Don't You…' and 'The Secret's Out' Hak takes Yona back to the Wind Tribe as she is nearing when she will give birth to her child when Jae-ha explains to him what happens when the next Dragon Warrior is born. Yona/Jae-ha with one sided Hak/Yona pairing. Lemons
1. Returning to the Tribe of the Wind

Sequel to the fanfics _'What Do You Think of Me?' 'Why Don't You…?'_ and _'The Secret's Out'_ part of my Yona/Jae-ha AU Chapter series (Also other pending titles in the series of one shots that aren't completed yet)

Here we are at the final arc for this series of stories! Unlike the others this will have multiple chapters as this will be a longer story, also because there are no chapters to revise for this as it's well past the manga's current arc. Now of course events reflected in this I haven't all written yet but to sum up where 'The Secret's Out' left off, Yona and Jae-ha got married in Xing privately with the help of Princess Tao, just the dragons, Hak and Yoon of course attended. As Yona's pregnancy progressed they realized they needed a safe place she could be to give birth when Hak remembers what his grandfather Mundok offered, much like he remembered it during the Xing arc. Now I know I'm using the anime dub's version of that speech, but I really liked how it had the words 'shelter' in there, as this is really what they need. By this point in the story Yona is bit over 8 months pregnant, I feel she would be stubborn and keep traveling as long as she could and let's face it they didn't have the greatest way to gauge pregnancy back then, so it really would be them guessing how soon she would give birth.

Also I feel it would have come out eventually that Hak did and still loves Yona, just she's still been dense all this time and finally pressed his buttons until he told her XD I will write that in a one shot eventually, and don't worry just because this is the final arc story doesn't mean I'm done with the other one shots, I'll still be going back and doing more that lead up to this point, but I was really getting this plot in my head and just had to start writing it out, as always leave your comments and suggestions below!

* * *

 ** _'Don't forget that if you ever find yourself in trouble, if your heart despairs or if you are in need of shelter of any kind, we'll always be here to help. We'll take your side no matter who your enemy is or what it means for our future. All you have to do is ask and we'll be there.'_**

Son Mundok's words were still ringing in Princess Yona's head as they approached Fuuga, the capital of Kouka and home to the Wind Tribe. After their long journey and negations were finally through with Xing a few months ago, they realized that the princess was not going to be able to keep on traveling in her current condition, despite her protests. By Yoon's best guess she would be giving birth within at least a month when Hak suggested taking up his grandfather's offer for shelter if they ever needed it. Yona only agreed to it as she wanted to see the people of the Wind Tribe again, and knew it would be good for Hak as well to return to his people to relax, he'd been on edge the whole time Yona met with Soo-won while helping Princess Tao and Princess Kouren negotiate. There was only a small chance that the Sky Tribe was actively looking for them, as now the soldiers that weren't involved with King Il's death knew that Princess Yona was alive and well, proving some of the rumors false. All the same, Hak insisted on Yona hiding her pregnancy and marriage with the Green Dragon from her cousin. Luckily, the negotiations ended before her belly started showing signs of growth. Once they had agreed to set off for the Wind Tribe, Hak sent a letter out ahead of time to his grandfather to inform them of arriving, though he didn't mention why or the princess' pregnancy at all… He figured that would be better to explain in person.

Yona sighed, a bit tired as they had been walking for a while now as she ran her hand through her crimson hair. Her dragon hairpin given to her by her husband glittered in the sunlight.

"Are you feeling ok Yona?" Yoon spoke up, checking her forehead as they walked. "We can rest just before we get there if needed… That or Kija can carry you with his dragon hand."

"Yeah because if me or Droopy Eyes carry her, she'll break our backs with how heavy she's become." Hak couldn't help the tease.

" **HEY!** I can't help it, I'm pregnant not fat Hak!" Yona growled, looking ready to strike the Lightning Beast dead for that remark.

"Well only now you can tell it's that, after all before anyone just thought you put on some weight…" Hak continued, chuckling at her reaction.

"You brute! The princess is a vision of loveliness and doesn't need your constant belittling!" Kija growled.

"Hey I'm just the bodyguard, sweet talking her is Droopy Eyes' department." Hak waved off a hand carelessly. "How do you think she got pregnant in the first place?"

Jae-ha just laughed at their exchange. "Now see that's the funny thing, the first time she was seducing me with-"

" ** _JAE-HA!_** " Yona quickly covered his mouth, her face bright red.

Hak just muttered something incoherent as Yoon made a face. "What have I told you about oversharing?" the boy genius grumbled.

"Ryokuryuu is just having fun as usual." Zeno laughed.

Jae-ha nodded once Yona pulled her hands away from his mouth, allowing him to speak again. "Of course, your reactions are just priceless each time! Though I must say Kija, pointing out how lovely my wife is do I have to worry about you trying to steal her away…?"

" ** _I-I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH AN IMMORAL THING!_** " Kija growled, completely flustered as he turned red.

"White Snake, he's just pulling your leg." Hak rolled his eyes.

"Quite true, the only here that's worthy of being a rival is Hak and his poor one sided love he still can't get over with-" **_BAM!_** The Thunder Beast smacked the Green Dragon on the head with his glaive.

"Geez you really don't know when to stop do you?" Yoon sweatdropped. "Yona seriously what the hell do you see in this pervert sometimes?" he looked at the princess seriously.

Yona just giggled. "He makes me feel special." She replied with a smile.

Jae-ha grinned, leaning an arm on Hak's shoulder. "See Hak? That is how you win a girl's heart, I hope you're taking notes for the next girl you-"

Hak brought his glaive up to the Ryokuryuu's throat. "… One more word out of you and I will cut something off this time, I mean it."

"Awww now Hak, you did once tell me you'd never deprive my kid of their father." Jae-ha tried to joke while still smiling at him, even with the blade inches from his neck.

"You can still live without a finger or toe… Or a leg." Hak replied darkly. "The old man fares pretty well with just one eye…"

"Alright you two enough fighting." Yona spoke up, pursing her lips. "Hak you know Jae-ha loves to tease just as bad as you do, now you finally understand how Kija felt all those times when you'd be picking on him…." She still felt a bit uneasy after it was finally spelled out to her that all this time Hak had loved her and she didn't even know it. Hak finally told her the truth the day before her wedding in Xing which was rather… _Awkward_. But she had pressed him a bit too much that day and he kind of exploded…

" _Fine…_ But keep your damn husband away from me before I do lose it." Hak grumbled, lowering his weapon.

"Forgive me Yona darling, but I can't help it when our Thunder Beast is in such an intolerable mood this morning." Jae-ha joked. "I thought I could lighten him up a bit but it appears the case is hopeless."

Yona sighed and shook her head, she had an idea why Hak was being a tad irritable. Once everyone in the Wind Tribe would see that she's pregnant, the first one they're going to suspect will be the Lightning Beast, just like their group did when they first found out. She knew Hak was preparing for that outburst, especially from his adopted grandfather Mundok. She was preparing to explain it as soon as possible. "I'll forgive you if you play nice and make it up to me later." She giggled and winked at the Green Dragon, walking ahead with Yoon.

"Ahhh dear me, day by day she's getting better at teasing me back." Jae-ha chuckled, placing his hand over his heart for dramatic effect.

"Alright you two, stop gushing around like newlyweds it's getting a bit sickening sometimes." Yoon rolled his eyes. "You two have been married for a few months now."

"Ahhh but see Yoon every day is like the first for us, and we have all the time that we were hiding it to make up for! You won't believe how much I had to hold myself back…" Jae-ha grinned wide. "And besides coming here can be like our honeymoon."

Hak snorted a laugh. "Good luck with that considering that huge stomach and those mood swings…" Yona tossed a rock at his head for that remark.

Jae-ha just smirked at him. "You'd be surprised with the things I can do with that, and how I can quell that flame of hers when we're alone. Perhaps I could teach you sometime so that you're ready on your wedding night, Hak-kins." He winked.

"I don't take advice from a perverted creep that knocks up princesses and then keeps it a damn secret." Hak replied rather sharply.

"Wow, still pissed off at me over that huh? That was how long ago now?" Jae-ha laughed. "You make it sound like I snuck behind your back, swooped her up and stole her away in the middle of the night."

"You two _WERE_ sneaking around behind my back." Hak replied with a glare. "And my warning still stands Droopy Eyes, I'll be watching you."

"Ahhh yes, you did tell me before the women at your village are beauties…" Jae-ha smirked, rubbing his chin. He then chuckled when he noticed Yona stiffen a bit and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her cheek. "Never fear Yona darling, no one can match your beauty and charm, but I still can appreciate the beauties here."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you too." Kija reminded him. "I won't let you take your marriage vows lightly and hurt the princess by reverting back to your old ways."

"That's giving him too much credit White Snake, he still acts like a pervert and flirts with girls." Hak interjected. "Or did you forget how he was sweet talking those ladies in the last village we saved from those bandits?"

Jae-ha frowned at that. "Now Hak you wound me, all I said was that we couldn't allow such beautiful ladies to be harmed."

"Oh is that why the princess had that jealous look on her face?" the Thunder Beast countered.

" ** _I DID NOT!_** " Yona protested, blushing bright red.

"… She did seem a bit bothered…" Shin-ah finally spoke up, having been quiet most of the time as usual, petting Ao in his hands.

Jae-ha grinned slightly. "Ooohhh so that's why you were so eager last night to-"

Yona immediately covered his mouth with her hands again, still blushing.

"Little miss had to assert her claim on Ryokuryuu, huh?" Zeno laughed.

"She's going to be doing that their whole marriage." Hak interjected. "Watch her get fed up with his perverted ass in a year, the novelty will wear off eventually."

"T-that's not funny Hak!" Yona protested, lowering her hands from her husband's lips.

"Who says I'm joking?" Hak raised an eyebrow at that. "We _ALL_ know he's a womanizer and a pervert. I just hope that he doesn't rub off on that kid of yours. Or else in 12 or 15 years we'll just end up with a clone of him, and then I'll have double the headache when they work together."

Kija, Shin-ah, Yoon and Zeno all stiffened at that, giving Jae-ha worried glances. Out of their group, Yona and Hak still didn't know that if the child was the next Ryokuryuu, then Jae-ha's days would be numbered. Whenever his child's life was brought up, those four would always go silent and almost look at the Green Dragon in pity, as if he was told he had a fatal disease and would die at any moment. Whenever Hak or Yona caught it and questioned them, each one would shrug it off as something else. Jae-ha sighed and shook his head, trying to signal them to not be so damn obvious all the time. He didn't want Yona to know just yet, after all if she did she'd blame herself and be upset that it was her child and her love in the end that was killing him, for if he hadn't gotten together with her this child wouldn't be born, and that was _IF_ it was the next Ryokuryuu, which they had no way of knowing until the child was born. So why worry her about something they weren't even sure about?

"Well if my child is blessed with the Dragon Leg, they'll be able to leap away just as beautifully as I do after teasing you Hak." Jae-ha made a joke to lighten the mood a bit.

"Great just what we need, TWO Green Dragons that are perverts." Hak rolled his eyes. "For your sake princess, I hope you have a girl so that I can hold back the urge to punch the kid in the face when it's older and reminds me too much of the father."

"You'd never hit a child, let alone mine, and you know it Hak." Yona scoffed, but then giggled. "But I have to admit I sort of hope it's a girl too."

"As do I, because then she'll have the loving flare of her mother graced by our combined beauty." Jae-ha swooned, then kissed his wife on the cheek. "And Hak just hopes that it's a girl because then her beauty will melt even the Thunder Beast's stone cold broken heart."

Hak's hand twitched on his glaive again. " _Keep pushing it Droopy…_ "

Kija just sighed, glad Jae-ha could make a joke out of this knowing what his fate was. Shin-ah just stayed silent and Zeno looked to the side worried. Yoon on the other hand just looked at Jae-ha slightly bewildered, surprised by how well the Ryokuryuu has been taking his possible fate. Granted he had told them all before that it didn't matter if it was now or in just a few years, a new Ryokuryuu would be born eventually and his fate was sealed no matter what. In fact he was happy if it would end up being his child, because then the Green Dragon would be safe with their group and not have to go through what Jae-ha and the previous dragons did in the Ryokuryuu Village. Granted dying was not something he wanted to think about, but Jae-ha knew his life would always be short and it was why he always wanted to live it to the fullest. He dreaded the idea of leaving Yona a young widow with their child but he had every intention of living as long and stubbornly as he could… But he did have a backup plan if it came to that…

"What now?" Hak noticed the Green Dragon staring at him. "I told you to stop pushing it…"

"Nothing, just maybe when we get a moment to ourselves in the village I'd like to have a word with you, Hak." Jae-ha said, patting his shoulder.

"… If you have something to say, say it now." Hak growled.

" _Not now_." Jae-ha said rather seriously, shaking his head.

"What are you two talking about back there?" Yona turned her head to look at them.

"Nothing dearest, just trying my luck again to cheer up our Thunder Beast." Jae-ha chuckled, strolling back up to her.

"By the way Yona, have you come to a decision on what the baby's name will be?" Yoon asked, knowing the princess had been tossing around names for the past couple of weeks to have one ready when it was born, so obviously she was going through both girl and boy names.

"Ahh yes, Yona had some lovely ideas she came to that I thoroughly approve of." Jae-ha said with a smile, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "Tell them, love."

"Well… Lina is if it's a girl." Yona explained with a smile and a slight blush. "It's the name I used when Hak brought me here to the Wind Tribe after we left the castle, I also used it back in Awa and I came to like the name."

Hak seemed surprised at that. "Sheesh who knew a name I randomly thought of would be given to your kid? Had I known this I would have put more thought into it…"

"I think it's a lovely name Hak." Jae-ha chuckled.

Yoon shrugged. "It sounds like a cute name for a girl."

"Pukkkyuu!" Ao purred as if agreeing as Shin-ah nodded.

"What if it's a boy little miss?" Zeno asked.

"Hawke." Yona answered with a blush on her face. "If I have a son I want to name him Hawke."

Everyone looked at the princess in shock, except for Jae-ha, who already knew her choice, obviously.

"… You want to name _YOUR_ kid after me?" Hak just stared at her, bewildered.

"Well not exactly the same as your name, I chose a variation of it." Yona answered, turning to look at him. "… But Hak, you're my dearest friend and you're the reason I'm here. Had you not saved me that night I never would have gone on this journey and met my husband." She took Jae-ha's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "I owe it all to you, I would have died that night if you weren't there so…. If it's a boy, I want to name him after the man that made it possible for him to be born. All the more reason I chose Lina if it's a girl since like you said you chose that name for me."

"… I… I don't know what to say to that…" Hak rubbed the back of his head, a blush staining his cheeks. "… It's your kid so it's your choice I guess."

"You should be honored!" Kija shouted right away. "The princess wishes to bestow your name for her child! Show a little gratitude at least!" he growled.

"Alright fine, sheesh White Snake." Hak grumbled, then looked at Yona with that blush still on his face. "… Thanks I guess, and you know I'll always be here to protect you, and the kid too I guess." He then glared at the Ryokuryuu. "Whereas Droopy Eyes can watch himself, he could never _PAY_ me enough to guard his troublesome ass."

"Oh Hak, you wound me so." Jae-ha snickered, hugging his wife close to him. "As long as you watch the two most important people in my life I can't complain. I'll be busy right with you making sure my lovely wife and child aren't in harm's way, which as you know very well is a full-time job."

Upon hearing Hak's words, Yona frowned, she felt that she really needed to talk to him about this. She had decided a while ago she wanted to give Hak back his freedom when this was all over, and now more than ever she felt that she needed to tell him this… But she was still sad to think of how they would part ways. Hak was still important to her, granted she didn't return his romantic feelings but he was still family in her eyes. It would be painful when that day would come…

" _Yona_." Shin-ah spoke up suddenly, patting her shoulder. "There are some people at the gate gathering, they just saw us." He pointed ahead. "… And they are running this way."

Yona looked up and smiled. Tae-woo, Han-dae, Ayame, Saki and Nobu all from the Wind Tribe came running up towards the group. " ** _LORD HAK! PRINCESS!_** " they shouted. Following slowly behind was Son Mundok, carrying Tae-yeon in his arms.

"Geez how long have those guys been waiting at the gate for us?" Hak sweatdropped.

"Probably since they got your letter." Jae-ha laughed. "They always seem so enthusiastic when they see you, Hak."

"Eh I grew up with a lot of them and they always looked up to me like a big brother." Hak shrugged. "… Guess I just have that impression on people."

Yona felt a sting in her heart from that one, blushing a bit and looking away. Yeah, she knew that one was meant for her, as she loved him like a big brother as well, even when he didn't mean it to be that way. She still felt bad that she never noticed how he really felt about her...

"You're here!" Tae-woo cried as he stopped right in front of them… But not the others. Han-dae, Ayame, Saki and Nobu immediately hugged the Thunder Beast. "Hey you guys! What have I told you about making trouble for Lord Hak?!"

"Ok you guys… Sheesh didn't you just act like this a few months ago with all the crap with Xing?" Hak sweatdropped. "Let a man breathe, will ya?"

Yona giggled at their reactions. "You're just popular Hak."

"Princess, it's great to see you too." Tae-woo said, then his eyes widened when he saw her stomach. "…. P-princess… Y-you're…"

"Hey you kids, stop making such a scene near the gate you'll attract too much attention." Mundok sighed as he caught up with them, putting little Tae-yeon down so he could come over and hug Hak as well.

"Big brother!" Tae-yeon cried.

Jae-ha smirked. "You failed to mention you have an adorable brother, Hak."

"He's adopted like I was." Hak replied, petting the kid on the head. "Good to see you too, Tae-yeon."

"And Lina's here too!" Tae-yeon cried, then flushed and corrected himself. "I mean… Yona right? Grandpa told me she couldn't use her real name last time she was here. But it's ok now right?"

Yona smiled and nodded. "That's right Tae-yeon, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before." She reached out and pet the young boy on the head.

"Wow you got a big tummy now, did you eat a lot?" Tae-yeon asked, clearly clueless being a small child after all.

Mundok's face fell and his eyes widened when he looked over the princess….. And then he pulled out a sword and held it right at Hak. " ** _WHAT IN THE GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU DONE TO THE PRINCESS BOY?! I THOUGHT I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!_** "

" _HEY WHOA!_ WHOA GRAMPS IT WASN'T ME I SWEAR!" Hak quickly dodged his grandfather's blade.

Yoon sweatdropped. "No wonder he was dreading this trip…"

"Mundok wait!" Yona cried, grabbing the elder's arm. "It's not what you think really!"

Mundok blinked a few times with his one eye as he noticed the hand Yona grabbed him with was her left hand, so her wedding ring glistened with the sun's rays. _"…. Oh."_ He lowered his sword and pat Hak on the shoulder. "So you **DID** do the respectable thing. Alright I _suppose_ I can forgive this since you've loved her since you were-"

"I'm _NOT_ her husband." Hak interrupted, glaring at his grandfather.

The others from the Wind Tribe were already gossiping among themselves about Yona and Hak, how he finally did it or how he actually married her, but then they heard the Thunder Beast denying it and fell silent at once.

"…. You're not the husband?" Mundok looked at Hak like he was joking. _"… Then who…?"_ he only then just looked over their traveling group.

"Mundok, this is my husband Jae-ha." Yona chuckled, grabbing the Green Dragon's hand as he walked forward and placed an arm around her. "You met him once before at Kushibi's Fort."

"Yes, but we never were formally introduced." Jae-ha chuckled, extending his hand to shake the elder's.

"Wait wasn't that the guy that Lord Hak was hugging during the battle?" Han-dae whispered to Tae-woo.

"I can see now why you made the sudden decision to come here…" Mundok said after a moment, reaching a hand to stroke Yona's cheek. "… I wish your father could be here to witness the birth of his grandchild…"

The princess nodded, trying to will away the tears that threatened to creep up. "I do too Mundok…"

"By my calculations she should be giving birth in 3 to 4 weeks." Yoon spoke up. "She wouldn't listen to reason about stopping traveling until now sadly."

Kija then stepped forward and bowed. "Elder, I assure you if anyone dares to attack your clan because of the princess being here, I the Hakuryuu will protect the people along with my brothers." He showed his dragon hand to express his title. "Protecting her is our outmost priority, so we plead with you to help us in providing her shelter here until she has her child."

"I told the princess before that we would help her no matter what her troubles were." Mundok said with a smile. "… And so the rumors were true about the Four Dragon Warriors I see, I never expected when I told you to seek out the oracle that it would lead you to them."

Yona smiled at that. "Neither did I, Mundok. But it also led me to Jae-ha, so I can't thank you enough for helping me find this path."

"Gramps I think we better head inside to your place, it'll allow us to talk and catch up more discreetly." Hak suggested, noticing that more people were gathering by the entrance.

Mundok nodded. "Follow me then everyone, we'll talk more inside. The rest of you finish preparing things for our guests." He ordered the others as they ran off to various duties. "It's best we head inside anyway, you all must be tired from the journey."

"Not to mention that the little miss has been feeling a bit faint." Zeno brought up.

"Zeno I'm not that bad." Yona pursed her lips, but she did look a bit light headed as she walked.

"Princess I can carry you the rest of the way if needed." Kija offered.

But Yona shook her head. "I'm fine Kija. It's not that far."

"Stubborn as always aren't you my dear?" Jae-ha chuckled, lifting her up into his arms bridal style. "You've been on your feet enough, and besides it's the husband's duty to carry you. Despite Hak's comment earlier you won't break my back so easily, otherwise that would have happened long ago with how many of them I've carried around while jumping." He kissed her cheek.

" ** _J-Jae-ha!_** " Yona blushed as he carried her. "I-I told you I'm fine…" she pouted.

"Alright then, how about do I need an excuse to want to carry my beautiful wife?" Jae-ha countered with a grin.

"With you, you'll come up with one in five seconds." She retorted, still blushing.

"You know me too well darling." He winked at her.

She felt her blush getting worse. "I married you, didn't I?" He chuckled at her response and kissed her.

"Enough flirting you two, just get inside already…" Yoon groaned, pushing on the Green Dragon's back.

Mundok looked back at the couple, then turned to Hak who was walking beside him, they were just far enough to be out of earshot by this point. "… Are you alright boy?"

"… I'm fine, what the hell are you asking me for gramps?" Hak raised his eyebrow at him. "The princess is the one carrying a kid and needs to learn to take it easy."

"You know what I mean…" Mundok grumbled rather low. "How did she end up married to a dragon when you two clearly…"

"It's complicated and butt out of it." Hak cut him off right away. "She's married to that perverted jackass now and she enjoys it. So let it be…. As long as she's happy that's all that matters." His eyes strayed off to the side. "At least it's not the one that murdered her father that she's in love with anymore…"

Mundok grew silent at that one, taking another glance at the princess and her husband. "… What's your impression of him though?"

"…. He's too damn lucky for his own good, doesn't deserve her and is a total pervert." Hak listed off right away, but then sighed as he looked back at the couple. "…. But I can trust him to take care of her, not that I'll ever tell it to his face, it would go straight to his head… Besides old man, have you ever seen her like that before?" he gestured his head at Yona as she was still protesting with Jae-ha about carrying her, to which then he said something that made her laugh as she kissed him.

Mundok watched and shook his head. "… No I can't say I have, even back when we all knew she was in love with Soo-won."

"Exactly… While I do feel she's made the biggest mistake of her life falling for a creep like that, I know he loves her almost as much as I do…" Hak admitted, though saying it far too low to make sure the others didn't hear. "But if he can make her happy like that, that's all I want for her… Just he annoys the crap out of me that he won't stop shoving it into my face how dense she was about how I felt and that he's got her and I-" he balled his fists and shook his head. "It's almost like I swear he's trying to tell me to take her away from him, instead of letting me move on…" It was then that he remembered the Green Dragon had something he wanted to talk to him about, but what? He would just have to find out and hope it wasn't something else he was keeping from him…


	2. A Talk With the Thunder Beast

Once they got to Son Mundok's place everyone was gathered around the group to hear of their travels and adventures, finally getting the whole story of what the Lightning Beast and the princess had been up to since they had departed from Fuuga. This took several hours to recap and eventually Mundok insisted with Yona's pregnancy she should see the tribe's doctor right away. Yoon agreed with this and went with her and the elder, wanting to compare notes with an actual trained physician. He took Shin-ah with him just in case as sometimes Yona needed support walking when she got too tired, and at least the Blue Dragon wouldn't make the boy genius irritated like the princess' husband would the whole time. In the meantime, Mundok had shown the rest of them a large room, where they could unpack all their items and spend the night. Before leaving with the princess, he said that he would prepare a separate room for Yona and her husband Jae-ha once they got back.

"While your grandfather's gesture is very kind, Hak, I highly doubt Yona dear will complain if we have to share the room with you guys for a few nights." Jae-ha chuckled.

" ** _WE_** might complain because we already hear enough at night from your damn tent." Hak grumbled. "Since we're all well aware you can't keep your damn hands off the princess."

"Oh there's that jealously again Hak, are you sure you don't want to watch for pointers?" Jae-ha teased, quickly dodging as the Thunder Beast swung his glaive at him. "I really hope you won't walk around town with that, you might scare people into thinking you've become homicidal."

"Well if a certain Green Dragon knew how to keep his damn mouth shut…." Hak grit his teeth, but did agree to put the weapon away with their other items.

"Jae-ha stop provoking him already!" Kija complained, crossing his arms and huffing. "We all know you're a vile pervert that can't hold back how much you enjoy flaunting your relationship with the princess in front of all of us, no matter how indecent it is!"

"Awww I'm just making up for lost time, after all we had so many weeks of hiding it and I couldn't let you all know for the longest time how much my heart soars for our lovely Yona…" Jae-ha chuckled, making a dramatic pose. "Besides isn't it a husband's duty to gush about his adorable wife?"

"Gushing is one thing, bragging about it is what you're doing." Hak growled.

Zeno just laughed at the group. "Zeno thinks it's cute how much the Ryokuryuu shows that he adores the little miss!"

Jae-ha smirked and wrapped an arm around the Yellow Dragon. "Ahhh Zeno, being a once married man yourself you're the only one that can sympathize with me."

The Ouryuu nodded. "The little miss is so happy with Green Dragon there's no reason to argue. Besides their hearts will probably melt when the little miss has her baby so their mind will be off Ryokuryuu then. Hopefully your child is perfectly healthy, that's what Zeno wishes for."

Kija stiffened again at that. "… Hopefully things go well with the doctor considering the princess was pushing herself until now… Especially that time she got sick."

"Well she is stubborn as a mule, luckily Yoon got her to rest eventually." Hak sighed and rolled his eyes. "… You ok there, White Snake? You seem pale whenever the kid being born is brought up, I doubt the princess getting sick once will affect it that badly… And besides that's why I said to come here, the midwives have delivered lots of kids perfectly fine. She's in good hands here."

"H-huh? N-no I…" Kija's eyes strayed to Jae-ha, then back to the Thunder Beast. "I'm just worried about the princess, that's all…"

Jae-ha sighed and stepped up to Hak, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey since we're waiting for Yona to come back, how about we have that little talk outside?" he then winked at Kija and Zeno, as he had told the dragons before he was going to let the Lightning Beast know their secret soon.

"What you can't talk about it here either?" Hak raised one eyebrow. "… _Suspicious_ , Droopy Eyes. I figured it was something you don't want to say in front of your wife but…"

"I'd rather speak to you man to man." Jae-ha said with a smile, walking towards the door. "As for what it is, you'll have to come with me to find out." He then left the room.

"…. Ok what the hell is he hiding from me?" Hak growled, turning to the Ouryuu and Hakuryuu. "You two know something, don't you?"

Kija stiffened again. "… It's… It's best if Jae-ha tells you himself…"

Zeno nodded. "Please mister, whatever you do don't tell the little miss what he's about to tell you. For her sake. But it is important and… Has to do with the child." The Yellow Dragon had a very unusual serious look to his face.

"… With their kid? What the hell…" Hak narrowed his eyes, but then stepped outside to find the Green Dragon leaning against the building. "So what is it?"

"Not here, I want to make sure we're alone and no one is listening." Jae-ha said rather seriously, taking a stroll a bit away until they made a bit of distance to the trees surrounding the village. "This should do. I'd rather not have any eavesdroppers that could listen in."

"If you wanted to lure me away to kill me just know I won't go down without a fight, and if this is about me not wanting to throw my life away in a fight protecting Yona because I have nothing left I'm not suicidal, moron." Hak joked, cracking his knuckles together. "Also if it's a sick invite to join you and Yona in a threesome, the answer is hell no."

" _WOW_ , you really thought of every scenario I could be meaning to talk to you about, didn't you Hak?" Jae-ha found himself laughing at that, rubbing his chin. "Though damn I didn't think of that last one, but it might be hard to talk Yona dear into something that kinky…" he grinned, noticing the Thunder Beast glare at him he shook his head. "But really, me try to kill you? I never knew you had such terrible impressions of me Hak, you're like a little brother to me."

"With you? Who the hell knows maybe that's why you keep irritating me about the princess thinking I might try to steal her away from you or something." Hak grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jae-ha chuckled at that one. "Oh Hak, you couldn't be any further from the truth. In fact I'd be happy if you did steal her away."

Hak blinked a few times. "…. Ok now you're just bullshitting me."

 _"Am I though?"_ the Ryokuryuu asked with a sly grin, leaning up against one of the trees.

"Alright enough with the games, Zeno said it has something to do with your kid, so speak up already." Hak growled. "Those guys have been acting awfully weird lately whenever the kid is brought up, I know they keep denying it but there's something they know and won't fess up already. If you're keeping something from Yona that could threaten her life I'm going to beat you to a pulp here and now!"

"Calm down Hak, Yona's life is not in danger." Jae-ha held up his hands defensively. "She's not the one they're worried about when our child is brought up…" his eyes strayed to the side.

"…. The hell does that mean?" Hak balled his hand into a fist, he was getting tired of the Green Dragon dancing around the subject. "Out with it already."

"Hak, haven't you ever wondered what happens when a dragon is born?" Jae-ha started off, leaning casually against the tree as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I mean we don't know for sure if Yona dear is carrying the next Ryokuryuu, but the chances are extremely high. That little power display back in Xing I have a feeling wasn't just our powers alone, Zeno and I agree it might have activated due to the child inside her, but we have no way of confirming it until the baby is born." He sighed as he continued. "But anyway, haven't you ever wondered what happens to the previous dragon when the new one comes along? I mean you don't exactly see two of the same dragon at the same time, right? You didn't see anyone else with dragon powers when you went to Kija and Shin-ah's villages, did you?"

Hak's eyebrows creased at that. "… So what, are you trying to tell me if your kid has the dragon's leg you're going to suddenly become useless? Does the power just suddenly go away and go to the next generation?" he asked.

Jae-ha snorted a laugh. "… If only it were that easy… But see the dragon's powers are tied to our lifespans so once these powers wither up I won't be a nuisance for you anymore…"

Hak's eyes widened at that, he took a step closer to the Ryokuryuu. _"… No… You're kidding…"_ he gasped, then realized the Green Dragon wasn't joking with that serious face he gave him. "So you're dying?" he choked. "So that's what this has been all about?! You're going to leave Yona?!" he punched the nearby tree, causing it to crack. "You fucking bastard! How could you do this to her-"

"I don't have a choice here, Hak." Jae-ha interrupted him, looking at him sternly. "Be it my child or some other kid from the Ryokuryuu Village, a new Green Dragon _WILL_ be born eventually. And when that happens my time is up, that's just how it is. You think I'm thrilled with the idea of leaving Yona a young widow? Of course not, it's why I've been trying to push her towards you all this time and get you to act on your feelings for her!" he grumbled and ran his fingers through his emerald hair. "I never dreamed she would have fallen for me instead, I was perfectly fine with stepping back and keeping it one sided and never letting her know of my affection, but she dragged it out of me that night in Sensui. After all, isn't that how you felt back when she was in love with Soo-won? As long as she was happy that's all that mattered, right?"

Hak gulped at that one, dammit he saw right through him. "… Still, you moron… You let her get this close to you only to hurt her in the end when you die."

"Unlike you I couldn't resist her charm forever Hak, that's just against my code of honor as a gentleman." Jae-ha chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "She loved me and you sure weren't winning any points in her heart with how you hid your feelings so I gave in. I never expected her to conceive so easily but I guess that's my punishment for giving into my desires, as I said a new dragon would be born sooner or later and actually I'm glad it's Yona and my child."

 _"… Are you insane?"_ Hak looked at him bewildered. "You're talking about the very thing that's going to kill you, and you're telling me you're _HAPPY_ that it's your own kid?!"

"My village was hell on earth, Hak." Jae-ha said with a rather dark look to him as he spoke of this. "I swore that I'd never allow another Ryokuryuu to go through what I did. I had every intention of breaking in there the minute I'd feel the next one being born and stealing it away, then giving it to someone I could trust to raise the kid properly. Probably Captain Gigan, she'd know what to do." He chuckled then. "So this way if it's Yona's kid, I know the next Ryokuryuu will be in good hands and I can rest easy. Besides Hak, I'm not going to die right away, it takes time for the powers to slowly transfer to the new dragon."

Hak stepped a bit closer to the Green Dragon, his eyes narrowed. _"… How long?"_

"Most dragons live 3-4 years after the new one is born." Jae-ha explained, then held up a hand to let Hak know he had more to say. "But we Ryokuryuus are stubborn you see. My predecessor lived until I was 12, and I'm far more stubborn and handsome than he was, so I plan to break his record. Besides, no other dragon has had a new one born while they are serving the Crimson Dragon, so my odds of living longer are pretty high actually."

"…. Still, to keep this from Yona…" Hak growled, balling his fists again.

"And if you were dying would _YOU_ tell Yona?" Jae-ha narrowed his eyes at him. "No, you wouldn't. Especially right now that she's pregnant and very delicate. Also as I said, we don't know for certain that my child is going to be the next Ryokuryuu, so why should I worry her about this when it might not even come to pass anyway?" he placed a hand on the Thunder Beast's shoulder. "I'll tell her after the baby is born, I promise. But I want her to at least have a little time with the kid before she starts blaming herself saying that her love is killing me and all that. And you know just as well as I do she'll do that."

"Alright you've got me there…" Hak grumbled, looking to the side. "I still should break you in half for doing this to her, you're going to hurt her so much when you…"

"Yes and that's the favor I need to ask of you, Hak." Jae-ha said with a smile. "While I'm confident I should last a good enough time to see my kid grow up… I can't ignore the fact that we have no idea when my fate will happen. It could be 15 years, it could be 5 years. So that's why I want to ask you…. When I'm gone, let Yona fall in love with you." The Ryokuryuu said, looking straight into his eyes. "There's no one else I can ask this of, and you love her as much as I do."

"…." Hak was stunned speechless, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. So many emotions going through his mind right now… Anger, rage, sorrow, depression, more anger… He then grabbed the Green Dragon's shoulders and shoved him hard against the tree. **_"… ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!"_** he shouted.

"Well, they do say love makes you do crazy things." Jae-ha joked, not minding the pain one bit.

"You're nuts! You're fucking crazy!" Hak shouted, smacking him several times against the tree. "You're seriously asking me to go after your wife as soon as your body is barely cold?! What kind of sick moron are you?!"

Jae-ha let his smile drop, grabbing the Thunder Beast's shoulders in response. "… Yona's far too young to be left a beautiful widow and alone the rest of her life. Hak, you can grow old with her, provided you don't throw yourself in front of a blade to protect her, I don't have that option." He explained. "I'd ask Kija or Shin-ah, but the cycle would repeat itself as soon as the next Hakuryuu and Seiryuu are born… And it isn't like Zeno or Yoon really look at her that way… So no, it _HAS_ to be you."

Hak didn't seem to know what to say, he merely released the Ryokuryuu from his grip and backed up a bit, shaking as he didn't know how to process all this. "…. Yona doesn't love me that way and you know it. And shit, I had a feeling White Snake had a crush on her but Shin-ah too? _Ugh…_ "

Jae-ha chuckled at that. "Can you blame us? Yona's just far too loveable and easy to fall in love with. Save your jealousy for me Hak-kins, I'm the only one that acted on it." He then pat the Thunder Beast on the back. "Don't you know Hak that love on the rebound is the easiest kind to achieve? Yona dear will be lonely when I'm gone and you can be there to pick up the pieces of her heart, and maybe then she'll finally see you are more than just a big brother." He sighed, taking a more serious tone. "… Hak really, you're the only person I can ask this of. I dread the thought of leaving Yona so soon but I'm done with running away from my fate, I've been running ever since I fled my village and it's about time I just face it."

Hak still looked at him like he was crazy. "…. I still can't believe you. You're a walking dead man and you're more concerned with telling me to go after _YOUR_ wife when you're gone? What kind of fucked up pervert are you?!"

"Would you rather I ask you to join that threesome after all?" Jae-ha joked with a perverted grin. "I wouldn't mind sharing Yona-chan once in a while with-" Hak punched him right in the face for that one.

" _You… You…_ You fucking idiot!" Hak growled as he watched the Green Dragon wipe the blood off his nose with a cloth from the punch. "So this is why you won't let me get over her and keep up your stupid teasing! You _DON'T_ want me to give up on her! So I'm just supposed to pick up your leftovers or some shit?!"

"Oh come on Hak, we both know you'll never get over Yona." Jae-ha chuckled, shaking his head. "I just don't want you to feel guilty when I'm gone and STILL not make a decent move on her when the opportunity will basically be handed to you on a silver platter." He then smiled. "Besides, I know you'll take care of her and my kid, that's all I want. And you won't have me around anymore to make your life miserable, you should be happy knowing you only have to deal with me for a few more-" he was stunned speechless when the Thunder Beast suddenly hugged him.

"…. I don't want you to die, Jae-ha." Hak growled, saying his name for once to stress how serious this was. "Sure I think the princess made a _HUGE_ mistake falling in love with you, but you've made her happier than I've ever seen her in her life. You understand her on a level I feel like I never could, and you were able to win over her heart when all I ever could do was just sit back and watch, hoping she'll at least be happy. You're an asshole, a pervert, an egotistical bastard and you drive me fucking insane sometimes, but you and all those dragons along with Yoon are like family now." He then released the dragon, and punched him one more time in the gut. "Which is all the more reason I'm pissed as hell at you that you're going to hurt her even worse than I ever imagined when you drop dead suddenly!"

" _Oooowww…_ " Jae-ha winched, holding his stomach as he smirked at him. "I actually expected more punches from you Hak, you're holding back."

"If I beat you too much your wife is going to notice and bitch at me for abusing you." Hak growled, cracking his knuckles again. "But then maybe I'll just end up telling her what you're hiding and-"

"No, don't you dare tell Yona about this, not yet." Jae-ha replied with a stern look. "Not in her current condition. I told you I'd tell her eventually and I will." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "… Trust me it's not a conversation I look forward to."

Hak just groaned and held his head, still trying to get a grip on things. "… I never thought I'd meet anyone that could love her as much as I do, leave it to you of all people to prove me wrong."

"Well if you ever need a few lessons on how to properly court a girl I could help Hak." Jae-ha offered with a grin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But I must say I'm touched to hear you say you don't want me to die, and here I thought you said you didn't care what happens to me?"

"Shut up." The Thunder Beast hissed at him. "… For Yona's sake, you better fucking live as long and stubbornly as you can, got it? Or else I'm going to be heavily disappointed in you."

"Well now I can't have that can I? I have a reputation to keep." Jae-ha chuckled, wrapping an arm around him. "I know I can count on you for this Hak."

"I haven't said I will just yet, moron." Hak growled, glaring daggers at him. "I'll protect Yona of course, I always have and always will… And I'll watch out for your kid too, after all it's her child as well. As for the other thing…" he looked away, feeling a twist in his gut just trying to even think about it. "… I… I don't make any promises, but I'll try to make sure she doesn't stay gloomy over your ass."

"I couldn't ask for anything more Hak." Jae-ha said with a chuckle. "There's no reason Yona should pine over me the rest of her life, it's why I want to live every moment with her to the fullest, so that she has plenty of happy memories to look back on." He then pat his back and started walking back towards the village. "Now all this serious talk is so unlike me, so how about we go have a drink or so? I really hate dwelling on the inevitable and much rather get back to adoring my lovely wife once she returns."

"… Geez you never change, even with a subject this serious..." Hak grumbled and shook his head. "Guess I'll have to find a new drinking partner when you're gone, White Snake can't hold his liquor for shit."

"Maybe Zeno then? We both know he can't get drunk." Jae-ha shrugged. "Or you could try Shin-ah if he gets a bit better at it."

"I just can't get over how calm you are about this whole thing…" Hak pressed, following him. "We're talking about you _DYING_ , that doesn't bother you? Only the part about leaving the princess seems to be the thing bugging you most."

"I've known about this my whole life Hak, it's why I value my freedom and living my life the way I choose to so much. We dragons know we have short life spans as we watch our predecessors wither away before us." Jae-ha explained. "It's just hard for you to understand because you only just found out. As for Yona, of course that's the thing that bothers me most. But that's been on my mind for a while too how I can't grow old with her, as badly as I'd love to. I envy you there Hak."

"…. So Kija and Shin-ah eventually will…" Hak felt another twist in his stomach just thinking about it. "… Does Yoon know about this?"

Jae-ha sighed as he stopped walking and turned to face the Thunder Beast. "Yeah, it's why they've been giving me those gloomy looks lately knowing what my fate is. Zeno's been a bit better at hiding it but he knows as well, after all he's outlived all the dragons. Poor Yoon walked in on us discussing it once so that's why he knows."

"And there's really no way to tell for sure if your kid is the next Green Dragon yet?" Hak pressed.

Jae-ha shook his head. "I'll feel it when the next Ryokuryuu is born, so will the others. I actually felt it when I was a kid back when Kija and Shin-ah were born, the dragon's blood calls out to us that way. But until then all we can do is watch and wait."

"… You've come a long way from the filthy perverted pirate that didn't want to become our comrade." Hak couldn't help but smirk slightly, placing a hand on his hip as he walked.

"I was told from the time I was born that I had to serve the Crimson Dragon and give my life to him, I wanted nothing to do with a life of slavery like that so I ran as fast as my leg could take me, swearing that I wouldn't let fate decide my life for me and nothing could change my mind, gods be damned." Jae-ha chuckled at that. "Leave it to Yona to get out the golden chain and drag me back down to the ground. For the longest time I blamed my feelings for her on the dragon's blood, it's all the more reason I kept trying to push her in your direction. But as time went on I just…. Stopped caring if it was the dragon's blood or not. I just wanted to be by her side and see her smiling face." He smiled warmly, looking a bit dreamy thinking about his wife. "When I finally just gave into my feelings and she returned them so fiercely, I knew I made the right choice. I would have regretted never telling her and never feeling her love like this. In the end it's worth it, no matter how short it'll be. The only thing I regret is how painful it'll be for her once I'm gone..."

 _"Jae-ha…"_ Hak seemed at a loss for words, seeing as they were approaching back to the village he didn't press it further, especially when he spotted the princess coming up towards them.

"What are you two doing out here? I hope you're not fighting again, _husband_." Yona said with a huff once she approached them, stressing the last word as she did when she was being serious with the Green Dragon.

Jae-ha chuckled as he turned towards his wife, petting her on the head. "Of course not Yona my darling wife, Hak was just showing me around his hometown that's all."

"Is that why you two just came from the direction of the forest?" Yoon asked, his eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Shin-ah just stood silently behind Yona, Ao perched on his shoulder eating a nut.

"Where's the old man?" Hak asked, trying to change the subject.

"Mundok went back already, I saw you two here and wanted to find out what was going on." Yona explained, twisting her mouth. "You two were already fighting before we got here, so I hope things didn't get worse."

Jae-ha just winked at Hak. "Oh you know me, Yona dearest. I merely make a joke about wanting to see the beauties he spoke of here and he's already suspicious of me." He leaned in and kissed Yona's cheek. "As if I'd ever betray your lovely trust in me, no one can compare to you."

Hak twisted his mouth with a grumble, but decided to go with it, for Yona after all. "He was busy taunting me that I need to hurry up and find a wife of my own, I told him to mind his own damn business." He waved a hand carelessly.

Jae-ha smirked at that, glad the Thunder Beast was going along. "Oh but Hak you've seen how married life inspires me, I just want you to have a chance at this happiness as well." He wrapped his arms around Yona from behind, pulling her close. "After all, Yona-chan here doesn't want to see you pining over her forever."

 _"Don't push it Droopy Eyes…"_ Hak grumbled slightly.

Yona blushed slightly as she leaned into her husband's embrace. "Well t-that's true Hak, I mean if you ever found someone you shouldn't spend your life alone…" she looked to the side slightly, still feeling awkward knowing how the Lightning Beast felt about her now. "I want you to be happy too, just like I am with Jae-ha." She smiled.

Jae-ha smirked at that one. "Yes Hak that's true, spending your life alone is a terrible thing, isn't it?"

Hak's eyebrow twitched at that _. "You…"_

"So what did the healer say Yona love?" Jae-ha asked, quickly changing the subject as he caressed her swollen belly.

"That she's been pushing herself too much and needs to take a rest, like I've been saying!" Yoon snapped, folding his arms over his chest. "But the doctor also agreed with my estimate on her delivery. Actually I want to compare some things with a few of the midwives tomorrow, I mean I know a few things about how to deliver a child but it wouldn't hurt to learn a few more."

"That's our Mother Yoon, are you worried you'll have to deliver Yona dear's next child?" Jae-ha couldn't help but tease, making the princess blush even worse.

" **J-Jae-ha!** " she protested.

"What my lovely?" the Green Dragon chuckled and kissed her cheek. "With how easily you became pregnant the first time it's only natural to assume it could happen again."

"Knowing you, it'll be a miracle if she doesn't end up with one kid after another…" Hak grumbled slightly, rolling his eyes. He really couldn't get it how the Ryokuryuu could joke so easily after telling him something so serious.

"Anyway I'm starving so let's get inside!" Yona said, pulling herself from her husband and heading towards Mundok's place.

"Yona what did I tell you about running?!" Yoon growled, chasing after the princess.

Hak waited until Yona was clearly out of earshot to turn to Jae-ha with a scowl on his face. _"… Seriously?_ If this first kid isn't your death sentence you really shouldn't gamble with fate by having a second kid you know." He hissed rather low. "I swear, sometimes you really act like you have a death wish or something."

Shin-ah looked between the two men, then turned to the Green Dragon. "… You told him…?" he asked.

Jae-ha chuckled at Hak's response but chose to answer the Seiryuu first. "Yes, I felt it was about time we let him in on our little secret." He then turned to the Lightning Beast. "And I told you Hak that it doesn't matter if it's my kid or one from my village, the next Ryokuryuu will be born eventually. Besides the more children I can leave behind with Yona dear the more she'll have to remember me by and not be so lonely." He shrugged his shoulders. "After all I can't help myself with my beautiful wife, you really think I could resist getting her pregnant again?"

" _Pervert_." Hak scoffed. "You just keep giving more reasons you need to live longer with her, moron."

"I never said I was going to go down without a fight, Hak. If you thought that, then I'm heavily disappointed in you." Jae-ha said with a smirk. "I only said I'm not running from my fate, I know it will happen but I intend to live as long as possible with Yona."

"You sure sounded like you were giving up when you asked me to…." Hak's words trailed off, he didn't dare say it.

"Now, now, Hak. As I said I can't turn a blind eye to the fact that it can happen, not that I plan on letting it happen." Jae-ha waved a finger tauntingly in front of his face. "I've told you what's going on so that you're no longer in the dark, and now it's up to you if you honor my request. Just know that all I want is for Yona to be safe and happy when I'm not here anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, my wife is waiting for me naturally." He then turned on his heel and headed towards where the princess and boy genius went, showing he was done with the conversation.

"… Shin-ah, how long did the last Seiryuu live?" Hak asked after a moment.

Shin-ah paused for a moment, petting his squirrel before answering. "… I think I was… Four… When Ao died."

Hak clenched his fists at that. "… Will any of you know when he's about to…?"

"He'll grow weak at first… But once his power is gone… He…" Shin-ah didn't seem to want to finish. "… But… Jae-ha said he plans to live as long as possible… For Yona."

"If you ever know when that's going to happen to you Shin-ah, or if you know Kija is about to…. Tell me, please." Hak said, looking right at the Blue Dragon even though he had his mask on. "… Because it's going to kill Yona to lose you guys one after the other…. Especially if it starts with Jae-ha…"

Shin-ah merely nodded. "It would hurt her to lose you too." He said after a moment. "We're all… Family."

Hak slightly smiled at that, patting the Seiryuu on the shoulder. "… Yeah, I guess we are. So let's keep an eye on that stupid big brother of ours and make sure he lives as long as possible with the princess." He then started to walk with the Blue Dragon back towards Mundok's place. Jae-ha's words were still ringing in his head as they walked and his request. _'… Could I really do that though? Make a move on the princess right after she loses her husband? … It just feels so…_ _ **Wrong**_ _. Dammit, why does this have to be so complicated? And why does it seem that Yona's suffering and heartache is never going to end?'_


	3. The Princess and Her Ryokuryuu

Author Notes: Warning for Lemon in this chapter!

* * *

After dinner Yona and her crew were gathered around Mundok and several others from the Wind Tribe as they shared a few more stories before it was getting late. Suddenly, Yona let out a grunt and scared everyone.

"It's nothing you guys, just the baby kicking again." Yona waved a hand carelessly… And sweatdropped hard when Mundok, Tae-woo, Han-dae, and Ayame were all placing their hands on her stomach trying to feel it. "…. You guys are just as bad as the others." She muttered, rolling her eyes. After all the Four Dragons, Yoon and even Hak often tried to feel the baby's kicking whenever the princess brought it up.

"The funny thing about that is, I never see you trying to feel it, Droopy Eyes." Hak remarked, eyeing the Green Dragon.

"That's because daddy has felt the kicking in the middle of the night while holding his dear wife so close." Jae-ha laughed. "The little one just has to be like most Ryokuryuu and unable to sit still." He joked.

"No kidding, this kid is always moving around inside me like it's ready to burst out any day now." Yona giggled.

"Well it better stay in there because a premature birth won't be good." Yoon huffed, of course thinking about her health. "All the more reason you need to take it easy Yona."

"I know that already, Yoon." Yona chuckled, shaking her head. "I should probably get some rest then." She slowly got up.

"Ah yes, I'll show you to your room then." Mundok said has he stood up. "It isn't much but I was able to set up one for you two."

"You didn't have to go through the trouble Mundok, we could have shared with the others." Yona smiled.

The elder shook his head. "Nonsense, a married couple deserves their privacy especially with upcoming parenthood."

"Not to mention we could all use a break from hearing you two all the time." Hak remarked. "White Snake can't take much more of overhearing when you both go at it and seeing it would just give him a heart attack."

" ** _HEY!_** " Kija growled.

Jae-ha chuckled as he stood up and took his wife's hand, bringing it up to his lips to plant a kiss. "It appears the rest of the singles in our group can't appreciate our combined beauty, Yona dear."

"The way a certain someone has no shame might have something to do with that." Yona looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Ooohh but my darling how can I when I'm blessed with a beautiful wife that expresses her love for me in so many surprising ways?" the Green Dragon grinned.

" _Husband_." Yona flushed a bit. "Behave."

They walked down the hall until Mundok showed them to their room, which was really just a basic one with a simple bed. Once the elder left them Jae-ha made sure to lock up their room so they wouldn't be disturbed, he then removed his blue robe and placed it on a nearby dresser, smiling as he watched his wife sit down on the bed and let out an exhausted sigh as she tossed her cloak to the side and kick off her shoes, rubbing her aching feet.

"Tired my lovely?" the Green Dragon asked as he approached her, reaching out and stroking her cheek.

"Just a bit, this pregnancy has been taking a lot out of me." Yona twisted her lips as she looked up at him. "So are you going to tell me what you and Hak were sneaking off to talk about or not? That look on his face made me wonder if you two really got into another argument…"

Jae-ha chuckled, shaking his head. His wife was always observant that way. "I told you already what it was about, I'm just trying to help him not make a mistake and remain a sorrowful lump." He joked. "That would upset you after all."

Yona eyed him suspiciously, not letting it slide. "I do want Hak to move on with his life, especially when this is all over. I want to give him back his freedom and let him do what he pleases, and not spend it worried about me…" her eyes looked to the side. "After all it's clear he hasn't gotten over me completely… And I still feel terrible for not seeing it all this time."

"Now, now love, there's no need to beat yourself up over that again. And honestly I don't think Hak will easily give up protecting you even if you order him." Jae-ha said, leaning in to kiss her. "You can't help you didn't see him as anything more than a brother, he said so himself he has that effect on people. Even I see him as a younger brother. It's why I worry about him myself, and besides you're not an easy woman to forget." He smirked, stroking her cheek still. "Had I kept my love for you a secret still, I'd probably be as miserable as he is right now."

The princess flushed as she placed her hand over his. "I'm glad you didn't. I've never been happier than with you, Jae-ha." She smiled, leaning into his hand a bit as she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his back.

"And my happiness is with you, Yona love." Jae-ha smiled back, kissing her lips once again. He still hovered over her, standing by the edge of the bed as she leaned back, pulling him down with her. He kept his feet still on the ground so that he didn't have his full weight on her, leaning forward to kiss and caress his wife. And that's when he felt one of those kicks from her belly that was pressed against him, making him chuckle and break the kiss. "Mmmmm I think the little one is trying to tell me not to smother mommy." He teased, rubbing her stomach with his free hand.

"Too late for that, you smother and fluster me all the time." Yona replied with a massive blush, her arms keeping him leaning over her.

"I'm just showering my lovely wife with love and affection, isn't that my job as your husband?" Jae-ha teased, kissing her reddened cheek.

Yona giggled slightly, still blushing though. "You are so enjoying the fact we have a room and bed to ourselves instead of just the tent."

The Ryokuryuu grinned at her. "Well after all, my sexy vixen of a wife is more relaxed and gives into her urges easier when we're all alone and she doesn't have to fear the others walking in on us... But we still need to keep it down a little, since I imagine your lovely voice will carry fine through these walls…."

" **Jae-ha!** " Yona blushed worse at that, smacking a hand at his chest.

"What? You know it's true." The Ryokuryuu snickered at her smack, still grinning. "After all, how can I forget the last lovely night in that inn? We had a room all to ourselves and you just had to assert your claim on me, after showing your jealousy?" he teased, planting kisses on her neck now. "And yet even after that time you still show jealousy when I merely compliment a lovely lady, when no one can ever compare to you my love…"

"T-that's because this pregnancy messes with me!" Yona protested, moaning as he kissed at her throat. "I-I can't help it makes me overly emotional sometimes!"

Jae-ha chuckled again, moving to lay on his back while pulling her with his roll, making her land on top of him, allowing his arousal to press against her thigh. All that serious talk with Hak just reminded him all the more how much he wanted to savor every moment with Yona and make as many happy memories with her to reflect back on when he'd be gone… Also to shower her with as much love as possible to make up for when he couldn't give it to her anymore. "Mmmm but there are fun times when I think it makes you lust for me more than usual…" he purred into her ear while planting a kiss there.

"As if you don't work me up enough since you're always eager." Yona rolled her eyes at that, blushing still especially as she felt his erection through their clothes. "Your dragon tail is trying to tell me something, husband." She teased, kissing his cheek.

"Of course when I'm alone with my adorable wife I can't help but want to devour her, should I check your dragon's den to see if she's hungry for me?" Jae-ha grinned, moving one naughty hand down her thighs as he lifted her gown a bit to sneak his fingers inside the cloth that covered her privates. He stroked her lower lips where he found the moisture of her arousal as he poked two fingers just barely inside to stir her up, his thumb rubbed her clit. "Mmmmm now what is it we have here? It seems I'm not the only one eager…" he teased, kissing at her neck again and sucking on one spot, causing her to moan out loud.

" _J-Jae-ha… Ooohhhh!_ " Yona shut her eyes and mewled, her hips shook as she squirmed a bit from both his stroking and his kisses. Her heart picked up in pace as her face was flushed. "N-no fair, you always can tease me so easily…"

"Do you want me to stop?" Jae-ha purred into her ear, licking it painfully slow as he pulled his hand away from her womanhood, bringing his head back to look into her lustful eyes as he brought the hand coated in her juices to his mouth to lick his fingers clean in front of her. "After all you need your rest, don't you dearest?" he replied with a smile.

Yona looked at him with narrowed eyes, her whole face red as she whimpered from the loss of his fingers as she rolled her hips to press against him some more, which was made slightly difficult with her enlarged belly. She looked like she was about to shout a protest at him, but instead chose to pull him right into a deep kiss, closing her eyes as she drove her tongue into his mouth.

" **Mmmm!** " Jae-ha's eyes widened with surprise from his wife's bold move, smirking slightly as he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer as his tongue eagerly met with hers. His cheeks flushed a bit as he felt her hands caressing his face and down his chest, untying his black undershirt to expose more of his skin for her to touch as their tongues danced. He slowly moved his hands down to her thrusting hips, helping guide her to grind against his hardened member through the layers of clothes in the way, and this was making him all the more feel they were far too overdressed for this. It always amazed Jae-ha when Yona got so overwhelmed with lust that she'd take the lead and pounce him like this and tease him back. It usually didn't last long, as she'd come to her senses and get embarrassed over it, but he still enjoyed every moment.

Speaking of which, the redhead was blushing madly as she broke the kiss, opening her eyes and looking at him half glaring, half pleading _. "…. What was that about stopping?"_ she breathed, her voice heavy with lust for her husband.

Jae-ha just grinned at her, pressing their lower bodies together a bit more as he squeezed her hips. "I'd be a complete fool to think you'd want to stop after a response like that, my lovely." He purred, kissing her lips briefly once again. "I love it how you show me when you can't find the words to respond. You're always so full of surprises..." He nuzzled her nose, smiling at her. "But you're wearing far too many clothes there, Yona darling." He moved to sit up, cradling her in his lap as he planted several kisses on her neck while moving his hands to untie her sash and open up her vest, letting it fall to the ground that was soon joined by his black undershirt that she helped him finish getting off.

Yona was blushing again as she narrowed her eyes while thinking of a comeback to that. "… Says the perverted husband with his boots still on." She let out a moan while he was licking and sucking on her neck, feeling like her skin was on fire with his every touch.

Jae-ha chuckled at her tease, kissing all the way back to her lips where he kissed her hungrily, while his hands were slowly working her dress up until he broke the kiss to lift it over her head and toss it to the side with the rest of their clothes. "Mmmmm you know they only come off for you, Yona dear." He winked. "After all how can I help it when my sexy wife loves me with her whole body? If only the others could see how you can have me completely under your control when you do such naughty things to that monster leg like-" she kissed him to shut him up, her cheeks as red as her hair.

"Stop embarrassing me." Yona growled against his lips, flushing some more as she pulled back. "Y-you know how much it takes me to work up into doing t-that kind of stuff."

"Yeeesss but it just cements all the more how much you love me dearest." Jae-ha purred, grinning like a cat. "You're such an adorable bundle of lust when I get you all worked up that you explode your love all over me in so many interesting ways." He pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled her nose. "It's why I say no woman can compare to you, princess of my heart."

 _"Jae-ha…."_ Yona's eyes shined with her love for him, smiling as she kissed him once again. She then felt his hands removing the bindings around her breasts, which she groaned as they had become more sensitive during her pregnancy much to her husband's delight. They had even grown a little bit, making her beauty mature, as the Green Dragon pointed out.

Once her breasts were exposed to the night air the Ryokuryuu took one in each hand, rubbing them in circles while his thumbs pressed against her hard nipples. Once his lips left hers they trailed down, leaving butterfly kisses on her jaw, neck and shoulder, until he reached her collarbone and planted several more kisses on her chest until he found where her beating heart was going rapidly and latched his lips there to suck for a moment, as if he were kissing her heart directly.

" _Ooohhhh!_ " Yona mewled as she shut her eyes, overwhelmed already as she felt her body heating up and her legs unconsciously rubbed together.

Smirking, Jae-ha moved her to lay on the bed, placing her head on the pillows as her flaming red hair spread out, adding to the beauty of her flushed face. He took this chance to kick off his boots and remove his pants, his rock-hard member showing her how badly he desired her. Crawling onto the bed on his knees to steady himself, his hand moved to her blushing cheek that he stroked softly before lowering his mouth onto her right breast, licking and sucking on the nipple while his free hand moved between her legs to remove the last garment in the way. Now that she was completely naked before him, he slipped one finger into her folds which earned him a loud moan of approval. As his hand on her cheek moved to return to her breast his mouth was just on as he moved to the other to love equally, he felt the princess's fingers tangle into his emerald hair as she held his head as she kept on moaning his name over and over.

"Watch that lovely voice there Yona dear." Jae-ha reminded her, smirking again as he looked up to see her flushed face as she opened her eyes right then, catching that predatory look in the Green Dragon's eyes. "Unless you'd rather they all have naughty dreams tonight about what your Ryokuryuu does to you."

Yona's eyes widened as she blushed yet again, shaking her head at that. "… More like Hak and Kija are going to tie you up so you can't make them lose more sleep." She said, looking to the side.

Jae-ha licked his lips while his single digit still explored her insides. "Mmmm kinky, but that means I'd be completely under your whim and they can listen to me cry out in pleasure instead."

" ** _JAE-HA!_** " Yona shouted, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire.

He snorted a laugh at her response, kissing between her breasts as he trailed down to her stomach, his hand caressing where his mouth wasn't planting kisses. He then smirked when he felt the baby kick at his lips. "I'm not sure if the little one is trying to tell me to stop or continue making mommy feel good." He chuckled, looking up at his wife while adding a second finger inside her, his thumb just barely pressing against her clit.

Yona was still blushing as she squirmed from his fingers slowly teasing her womanhood. "M-maybe it's trying to tell you to stop t-teasing me!" she whimpered.

Jae-ha laughed at that one, grinning wide at her. "You know all you have to do is use your words love, but it's nice to see the baby wants to help." He taunted, caressing her belly as he dipped his head between her legs. "But I think it's about time I had my dessert and you get your sweet release." He purred, brushing his lips against her clit and licking slowly, then he ran his tongue up and down her wet entrance to tease her further before pushing it inside to join his fingers.

" ** _Jae-HAAAAAA!_** " Yona yelled out a blissful cry of pleasure as she felt his sinful tongue thrust into her. Her fingers tightened their grip on his head, her hips shook and she squirmed as he tasted her inner flesh. She rolled her head back on the pillows and covered her mouth with one hand as she knew her moans were getting far too loud as her husband licked, kissed and sucked at her lower lips while his two fingers still pumped at a painfully slow pace, drawing out her pleasure. All he had to do was keep this up for a few minutes and she was spasming and letting out a muffled cry against her hand over her mouth, her climax hitting her like a tidal wave as her fluids rushed towards his tongue where he happily drank down every drop.

Jae-ha smirked as he pulled back once he was done, licking his lips. "Mmmmm as always Yona love, the taste of your fresh orgasm is simply exquisite." He purred seductively, enjoying that flushed look on his wife's face as she was panting from her heavy orgasm.

Yona slowly moved her hand from her mouth as she bathed in her afterglow. She groaned and squirmed a bit as she grabbed his shoulders to pull herself up into a sitting position, feeling uncomfortable on her back. She then kissed the Green Dragon hungrily, pushing into it and her hands wandered onto his chest and gave a weak shove to try and push him onto his back. He chuckled into the kiss but complied, laying back on the opposite side of the bed with his knees raised and surrounding her. His erect cock poked eagerly at her pregnant belly.

Once their kiss broke he flashed another perverted grin at her. "Yes Yona my darling? I take it you enjoyed that."

"It's my turn to tease you back." Yona replied with a flushed face and voice dripping with lust. Her hands moved down his body slowly caressing him, though purposely she left his hard dick alone to taunt him as she grasped his dragon leg with both hands, lifting his foot to press against her stomach.

"Ahhh Yona love you know just how to drive your man crazy…" Jae-ha felt his cheeks redden a bit as he felt their child's kick against his foot. He always loved it when Yona worked herself up like this especially right after he teased her, which showed even more how much she desired him which was just as much as he did for her. He always thought that leg was a curse because of his village, a monster leg that didn't suit him while he enjoyed the power of jumping high he still didn't like to show it, thinking it unbeautiful. Leave it to his clever wife to find such creative ways of proving him wrong and showing it so much love.

The princess smiled as she placed a kiss at his knee, exactly where the skin was half human and half dragon scales. She then planted several little kisses down his leg as she held it in both hands, lifting it up to allow her to reach all kinds of spots with her lips. She felt the Ryokuryuu's body shudder as he watched her with interest how she loved that monster leg that he used to be ashamed of at times. He never got enough of her doing this and it turned him on each and every time, his eager cock shaking as if begging to get the same attention. She kissed down his leg until she reached his foot where she took his large toe into her mouth, licking, nibbling and sucking at it as if she were giving him a blowjob.

" _Ahhh Yona!_ " Jae-ha moaned out, fighting the urge to close his eyes from the feeling but he was so aroused watching her he didn't want to miss a moment. He wiggled his toes as she worked. Once she finished paying attention to one toe, she moved onto the next one, giving each toe the same treatment.

Yona blushed again as she slowly pulled her head back, of course her embarrassment was catching up to her as she just pressed his foot against her blazing cheek and smiled at her husband cutely. "Maybe you're right husband, I am awful tired and could use a rest." She giggled, loving it when she could tease him back like this.

"Aahhhhh Yona dear…" Jae-ha smirked at her, his hand gripping at his rock-hard member that was dying for contact with her. "Are you trying to make me beg?"

The princess blushed yet again as she moved his dragon foot between her breasts. "… W-well you're always trying to get me to ask for it after all…" she looked away slightly, her confidence fading.

The Ryokuryuu smiled at her, leaning forward and placing a hand under her chin to turn her head to face him. "Yona my lovely wife, will you be so kind as to allow your perverted husband to indulge in making sweet love to you?" his velvet voice hit her heart strings and made it flutter, but he didn't stop there. "Or would you rather I just ask for it more directly? That my dragon tail is so eager to enter your cavern and explore inside, then fill you up so much that the little one inside won't be the only reason your lovely tummy is like this." He purred, moving his hand from between his legs to rub her stomach softly.

Steam was blowing out of Yona's ears she was blushing so much from his words, her heart ready to jump out of her chest as she just left her mouth hanging open, unable to form a reply. Jae-ha snickered at her cute flustered face as his fingers brushed her chin and pulled her closer as he kissed her lips passionately. His hand on her chin moved to stroke her cheek as his hand on her belly caressed down to between her legs until he found her clit and rubbed it just to further entice her. Once he broke the kiss, his lips still hovered over hers while grinning wide. "Well Yona-chan? Or do I need to ask for it in a few other ways to express how hungry I am for you?" he whispered seductively, his tongue running across her lower lip.

" _J-Jae-ha…_ " Yona was breathless from that kiss, her cheeks burning bright red as her heart was racing. Her amethyst eyes were burning with desire as she pressed into another kiss, slowly crawling closer to him as he placed his hands on her hips to help guide her.

Jae-ha laid back on the bed as he continued to kiss the gorgeous redhead on top of him who was trying to line herself up with his hard member, but seemed to be struggling a bit. He chuckled within the kiss as he squeezed her hips and adjusted her movement so that his cock poked right at her entrance. The princess let out a deep moan into his mouth as she impaled herself onto his dick, causing her to break the kiss for air. "Oooooohhhh!"

"It's always heaven when we're connected like this, Yona dear…" Jae-ha purred into her ear as he moved his hands to grope at her beasts, rubbing them in slow circles while teasing her nipples. "I love you my sweet sexy wife." He nuzzled her nose and planted another kiss on her lips briefly as he thrust his hips slowly to start out.

Yona mewled as she bucked her hips in her clumsy attempt at matching his pace, overtime she had gotten better about how to do this but still couldn't match the experience her perverted husband had after all. "It feels like we're one heart and one soul like this each time… I love you Jae-ha, always." She responded, her eyes shining with her love.

"That's because we move as one and our hearts and minds sync together beautifully my love." The Green Dragon smiled at that, kissing her cheeks as he touched her tits a bit more forcefully, his hip thrusts accelerating after her example to catch up to her pace. The faster he went the more his cock lost aim, hitting Yona's pussy at different angles but generally close together, always sliding along her walls back towards the center to penetrate her as deep as possible, aiming for her womb whenever she landed in his lap, her belly bouncing a bit from their movements.

"Ooooohhhhh Jae-ha!" Yona moaned out, then realized she was getting too loud and kissed her husband yet again to help muffle her cries of pleasure as she felt his hips moving faster.

As their pace continued to quicken, the princess' muscles started to constrain around the Ryokuryuu's member, as if not wanting to allow it to escape their grip. She pushed further into the kiss as she felt her approaching climax.

Jae-ha felt the change and moved his hands from Yona's breasts to holding her ass firmly, thrusting more forcefully while holding her down, so each time she bounced he could pull her right back down and impale on his cock, that way, he barely exited at all anymore. He was nearing climax too. "Yona love... I'm close!" He warned.

Yona responded with a loud cry within their kiss as she came over the edge, her fluids spilling like mad onto his cock as she gripped his shoulders to hold herself up. To which Jae-ha cried out too, gripping her buttocks and discharging his load inside her pussy, held too tight to let her go. Then his voice died down as they broke the kiss for much needed air, he reopened his eyes to see the red-haired beauty on top of him, still holding her in his arms.

Yona gasped and let out a final cry before she collapsed on top of him, her breathing ragged and her heart hammering through her chest. She slowly opened her eyes and met the depths of his violet eyes, her face flushed from her afterglow. "Jae-ha… No one can ever make me feel the way you do, you made me the happiest girl ever when you took me as your wife."

Jae-ha stared straight into her eyes for a short moment, feeling all of her warmth, her softness so close, touching him, relishing every moment they shared as he smiled, moving his hand to stroke her cheek softly. "And you are truly the perfect woman for me, Yona dear. When you returned my love, I found myself the luckiest man alive. We were fated to meet and fall in love I suppose." He chuckled at the irony of that. "To think the very person I avoided like the plague and was sure would be the worst day of my life to run into ended up being the love of my life? I've run from my fate all my life but finally when I stopped denying it and saw you truly for the first time, I knew my destiny was forever at your side." He pressed his forehead against hers, staring at her lovingly _. 'Or at least as long as this blasted dragon's blood will allow me to live. But blood be damned I will stay with you as long as possible Yona love, and when that time comes I do hope you don't completely give up on love and finally return Hak's feelings… I know he'll take care of you, he's loved you all his life that much is clear.'_

Yona blushed deeply from his words, her heart still going crazy in her chest. She smiled and placed her hand over his on her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness as she brought his hand down to caress her swollen belly. "And our baby is just further proof of our love."

Jae-ha smiled at that, rubbing her stomach together with her hand over his as he mulled over his thoughts. _'And this is why I can't tell you yet that the baby might end up being the death of me, because you're right Yona darling… The little one was created out of our love and is the proof of how much we love each other. Had it not been our child some other kid would have been born far away that I had no connection to, if anyone has a right to take me away from your side it would be the one to carry on your legacy and something for you to remember me by… But I don't want you to regret our love or our child one bit, so that's why I want to give you just a little bit longer to stay in this blissful happiness…'_ he then chuckled since this time he didn't feel a kick from her stomach. "Speaking of the little one it seems to have settled down now. There, there, don't give mommy so much trouble ok? Daddy will take care of all of your naughty momma's urges and put her to bed properly." He teased, looking right at her tummy as he spoke.

"Stop talking to the baby like that!" Yona blushed and smacked his shoulder which made him laugh. "Besides it was your fault you get me so worked up like this and being such a pervert!"

"Mmmm yet I'm the one on my back here and was the one you were trying to make beg for it." The Green Dragon replied with a smug grin.

" ** _JAE-HA!_** " Yona blushed deeper and smacked his shoulder again. "T-that's not fair! You know I-KYYYAAHHH!" she cried as he tickled her sides while pulling himself up into a sitting position holding her.

"What was that Yona love? I know how badly you want my dragon's tail to violate your love cavern still?" Jae-ha teased with a perverted grin, still tickling her. He was already hard inside her again, his member twitching as he felt her inner walls give him a squeeze, both of them still eager for each other. "Or I know how much you enjoy sleeping while still connected? Or I know that the night is still young and we can keep going until you're so overwhelmed with pleasure you'll forget all about those unpleasant pregnancy problems."

Yona's face was a fireball as she looked at him, she started stammering as she couldn't find the right words. "Y-you… I… But… J-Jae-ha… Y-you… P-perverted husband…." She looked away, still blushing madly.

Jae-ha chuckled at her cute reaction, kissing her cheek. "I love you too, sexy wife. But for now, let's move you to a more relaxing position." He then moved his hands onto her hips, slowly turning her to face away from him. He groaned from the wonderful sensation of turning her while she was still impaled on his cock. Once she turned around completely, he laid them both down on their side, her head on the pillow while he craned his head over her shoulder, kissing her blushing cheek. He continued kissing everywhere, from her cheek to her temple, then around her ear, right under the place where the hairpin that he had given her was nestled in tightly. "Like this, love." He moved one of her legs to hook around his as he started with slow thrusts to stimulate her pussy.

" _Ooooohhhh…._ " Yona shut her eyes and mewled in pleasure, still high off the last two orgasms so everything was far more intense. Her moans doubled when he moved one hand from her hip to her clit to rub while pumping into her so casually. His other hand moved to caress her belly from behind as his lips moved from her neck to her shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses the whole way.

"So beautiful… My lovely wife." Jae-ha purred, his eyes sparkling with lust as he claimed her lips again, sending his tongue to play in the process. She timidly wrapped her tongue around his, responding well while his hands still worked their magic on her, making her moan and squirm as his cock still moved inside her. Her inner muscles tightened a bit after a little while, signaling she was close to another release. Giving her clit another good rub, his hand on her belly moved to grope her breast as he thrust all the way inside her just as he released his second load, feeling her pussy clamp onto his cock as she orgasmed along with him, milking every drop it could. Their moaning ended up in them breaking the kiss to gasp for air, both of them left breathless.

Jae-ha of course was the first to recover, kissing her temple. "Mmmm it feels so good to release inside you, but once you have the baby I'll have to get used to being careful again." He joked, rubbing her tummy. "After all you don't need to be popping out one kid after another with how easily you conceived the first time."

Yona blushed madly at his words, still trying to catch her breath. "… I wouldn't mind more children with you, besides like you said earlier it wouldn't be surprising to assume it will happen again…" She admitted, looking away slightly embarrassed. "The more to carry on my legacy that way, I used to always think how sad it was that I'm the only one to carry on my father's, it's why I asked Hak to still call me princess. And besides…" she smiled and brushed her left hand over his as she turned to look at him again. "It'll just be more proof of our love, and I'm happy to make a family with you, Jae-ha."

" _Oh Yona…_ " The Green Dragon looked at her lovingly, bringing her hand up to his lips where he kissed around her wedding ring on her finger. "And I'm honored to be your beloved husband and create a family with you, the more reminders of your beauty you'll be surrounded by, the better." He chuckled. _'Not to mention more for you to remember me by when I'm gone, and so that you won't be lonely…'_ he thought to himself, releasing her hand and stroking her hair while touching her hairpin and smiling. "I love you, princess of my heart." He whispered into her ear and kissed her cheek.

Yona flushed again as she smiled, looking at him lovingly. "I love you too, protector of my heart." She then yawned, her exhaustion catching up with her as her eyes slowly fluttered closed.

"Get some sleep my beloved wife, you need it." Jae-ha spoke softly, pulling the covers over their still connected forms, not wanting to pull away from each other for a moment as he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close as he nuzzled his face into her hair and closed his eyes. "I'll be here by your side… _Right where I belong_."


	4. The Ryokuryuu's Sister

One week had passed since Yona and her crew had arrived in Fuuga, they were able to maintain a low profile even though the princess insisted on trying to help out around the tribe much to everyone's protests. Currently she was helping with the laundry since several of the girls that would normally do it were ill with the flu.

"Princess, let me carry that." Ayame offered as she came over to the redhead, who was struggling with a load of clothes far too big to carry in one go especially with her pregnant belly.

"I'm fine really!" Yona said with a smile, but she nearly dropped the bundle of linens in her arms when Ayame caught her, then took half of the pile.

"You're pregnant, you really should slow down you know." Ayame said, chuckling a bit. "Lord Hak says you've been pushing yourself this whole time, he worries about you after all."

Yona pursed her lips at that. "I know… But I've relied on him and everyone else protecting me far too much. And I'm going to need their strength even more when the baby comes, since I don't want anything to happen to it. I've always wanted to be stronger to protect myself so the others don't get hurt all the time watching out for me, then to protect Hak who's given up everything for me." She smiled sadly as she spoke. "But also to protect my child too, as I want him or her to grow up happy and I wish to be there for them. I don't remember my mother much at all, she died when I was so young. I want to be there for my child and give them what I didn't have. And I know Jae-ha will care for our child as well."

"Your husband really loves you, that's been clear since you got here." Ayame giggled. "I must admit we were all so surprised, we expected that Lord Hak had…" she then caught herself before finishing that thought out loud.

"…. Yeah, I know about that…" Yona looked away sadly. "…. So Hak's been in love with me that long? … I really was blind wasn't I? I mean back then sure my eyes were only on Soo-won but…."

Ayame frowned at that, shaking her head. "Sometimes we don't notice right away that someone is precious to us… Besides with the way you two always were I can't blame you if you look at him like a brother, many of us here think that." She giggled.

"Oh? What about you Ayame?" Yona asked. "Is Hak like a brother to you too?"

Ayame blinked at that. "Huh? What makes you ask that?"

"Just wondered, after all there aren't that many girls Hak ever seems to be close to so it's nice to talk to someone else that knows him." The princess giggled. After all she did want her bodyguard to move on with his life, and since earlier back when she first came to the Wind Tribe Hak had told Yona that she could act womanlier like Ayame, she wondered if he actually liked her at least a little bit…

Ayame looked to the side, twisting her mouth a bit. "Well… Actually I'm technically-"

 ** _"OUT OF MY WAY! I'M THE DAUGHTER OF THE WATER TRIBE GENERAL AND MY FRIEND IS HERE! I DEMAND YOU ALLOW ME TO SEE HER IMMEDIATELY!"_**

"… Now who is making such a fuss?" Ayame blinked, looking towards the entrance where four females seemed to be gathered arguing with Saki and Han-dae.

" _Lily!_ " Yona cried as she placed the linens down and rushed to the entrance. But she then noticed Hak and Jae-ha had beat her to there first to greet her friend and her two bodyguards, Tetora and Ayura. But there was an unfamiliar face with them too, a woman with long strawberry blonde hair stood behind the group chuckling at Lily's outburst.

"So I see you made it Val." Jae-ha winked at the woman in question.

"Of course brother dear, after all Lily here was insistent the moment I gave her that message." She laughed in response.

 _'Oh that must be Valerie, the one Jae-ha told me about that's Captain Gigan's adopted daughter. She's really beautiful… A lot more than I am no wonder Jae-ha liked her…'_ Yona thought to herself, having to stop to take a breath. She couldn't run like normal thanks to her enlarged belly _. 'I'm glad she was able to get my letter to Lily safely… But she really shouldn't have rushed here like this.'_

Ayame wrapped an arm around the princess, having placed her pile of clothes to the side as well. "Don't rush yourself, after all you're not in the best shape right now. Your husband and Lord Hak will welcome them just fine."

Saki groaned at the general's daughter still growling at them. "All we said was let us confirm first, after all we can't let just anyone know the princess and Lord Hak are here, especially if the Sky Tribe comes looking for them."

"Yes Lily dear, they were just doing their jobs so no need to get so upset." Jae-ha chuckled. "After all you want to protect Yona dear as well yes?"

" ** _YOU!_** " Lily glared daggers at the Green Dragon right away, changing her rage onto him now. "What in the WORLD were you thinking getting Yona pregnant at a time like this?! She told me you two were being careful! But she said she'll be here the last month before she gives birth meaning-"

Valerie snickered. "Yes I must ask that myself brother dear, I want to know how dare you waste all those lessons and practice from back in the day when we-"

Jae-ha let out an exhausted groan as he cut her off, especially when he heard Hak snickering beside him from enjoying the Ryokuryuu being chewed out. "I hate having to repeat myself so much with how many of you keep accusing me of this, but I _WAS_ being careful. I can't help that dragons seem to be extremely potent with the one time I forgot myself when…." His cheeks reddened just a little bit as he seemed irritated answering that same question over and over again.

Valerie blinked a few times. "… Wait so you got her pregnant with one shot? Damn I am so glad I never let you cum inside me." She chuckled.

Yona stiffened at that, even though she knew about the relationship between Valerie and Jae-ha, after all he told her about it so that she wouldn't get a jealous outburst when she'd meet the woman, she still couldn't help that ping of jealousy spike up especially with her mood swings.

" ** _EH?!_** Have you been cheating on Yona?!" Lily shouted, looking between the two. "And didn't you just say he's your brother?!" she shouted at the older woman.

"Technically adopted, we're not blood related just kinda grew up together." Valerie laughed, shaking her head. "We met when we were both around 12, and as horny teens go we both got a little… Curious you could say. Nothing more than casual sex though and this was long before he met his wife."

"Damn and here I thought I had an excuse to go get my glaive." Hak commented with a grin on his face. "And good to see you haven't changed a bit Val, I should have figured you knew this damn pervert. Had no idea the girl he was talking about was you of all people."

That's when Jae-ha turned to him with a shocked expression, but before he could ask Yona approached them finally and did it for him. "Wait you know her Hak?"

Valerie grinned at the sight of Yona, taking note of the redhead's belly. "So this must be your adorable wife, brother dear?" she asked the Ryokuryuu who just smiled and nodded.

"Oh there you are princess." Hak smiled Yona first, but then nodded. "Val's an important merchant and healer that's come to the Wind Tribe many times. With how sick Tae-yeon tends to be her medicine has helped him many times."

"In fact it was Val I raced to go find when we couldn't get medicine for him." Han-dae brought up. "She's been a lifesaver for our village."

"Darn it Hak you had to go and ruin it before letting them run wild with rumors about us!" Valerie giggled. "But yeah I've traveled here a lot and the Wind Tribe is one of my favorite spots to come to." She then smiled warmly at the Thunder Beast. "But I have to admit I'm glad to see you back here Hak, you weren't here the last couple of times I visited, I also had no idea you've met my perverted brother."

Jae-ha rubbed his chin at that. "Hmmmm no wonder you were always so eager to head back out when you'd come back to visit the captain, you wanted to come here possibly to-" he got an elbow in the ribs from Valerie before he could finish.

Tetora just giggled at their exchange. "Lady Lily insisted on coming here because she wanted to check on Princess Yona, of course we all came along."

Lily walked over and hugged the princess right away. "Yona! Why didn't you tell me sooner you were pregnant?! And after everything that's happened recently!"

"Sorry Lily I couldn't, that's why I sent the letter." Yona smiled as she hugged her friend back.

Lily then smacked her shoulder. "At the very least you could have invited me to your wedding!"

"We got married in secret back in Xing and it was rather sudden so that wasn't possible." Jae-ha chuckled. "Princess Tao insisted on holding the ceremony for us in thanks for helping her country and saving her sister."

"That and the sooner she got Droopy Eyes here to agree to marriage the better that she get it done before he changed his mind and ran off to another female." Hak interjected.

Lily glared daggers at the Green Dragon. "If you _EVER_ think of leaving Yona like that or betray her I'll-"

Jae-ha merely laughed. "Mmmm you're going to have to take a number and get in line there Lily dear, Hak and Kija already took the top spots claiming to rip me to shreds if I ever even think of something so cruel. As if I ever would." He came over and kissed Yona on the cheek. "After all she is the princess of my heart."

 _"Awww…"_ Tetora swooned while Ayura just shrugged.

Valerie cleared her throat as she turned to Jae-ha. "Ahem, I believe you still owe me that introduction to your pretty wife, brother dear."

The Ryokuryuu chuckled. "Where are my manners? Of course." He wrapped an arm around his wife and extended the other towards Valerie. "Yona my darling, this is Valerie Nightmare. Val, this is my lovely wife Princess Yona."

"Jae-ha told me all about you, I'm glad to finally meet you." Yona said with a smile.

"And I've heard a little about you as well, see I stopped back at Awa on my way to the Water Tribe and decided to ask mother myself if she knew anything about brother dear and his new wife." Valerie chuckled, the nudged Jae-ha then. "Which by the way she says you two better come and visit sometime when the kid is born since you didn't have the decency to invite them all to the wedding, and that she so called it that Yona caught your interest. Not to mention Rowen and Maya apparently were taking bets when you two would hook up."

"Those guys will make bets on anything." Jae-ha snickered. "Though it figures the captain has her nose slightly out of joint missing the wedding but I'm sure Yona dear and I can arrange to come see them all after the little one is born."

"I'd like to see them all again." Yona smiled warmly. "Jae-ha says the captain adopted you when you were a kid Valerie?"

"Pretty much, I was taken from my home when I was around 5 and sold several times before she found me." Valerie shrugged her shoulders. "The captain can be rough but she really is a mom at heart to those guys, she just considered herself more my mother since she basically raised me. She felt similar towards this pervert when she took him in so that's why we kind of became like siblings." She jabbed her thumb at the Ryokuryuu.

"From what we just heard it sure sounded like more than sibling affection though…" Lily remarked.

"Eh, nothing to get all worked up about we just tried a few things together and it didn't work out, that's all." Valerie chuckled, turning to Yona now. "After all it's this adorable cutie he married and about to have a child with. No need to be jealous about my past with your husband sweetie, I'm the one that broke things off between us anyway."

"I-I'm not jealous!" Yona blushed as she looked away.

"Princess you've been getting jealous each time he merely looks at another female." Hak spoke up. "Not that I blame you, someone needs to keep the pervert in line."

"Oh Hak you wound me so." Jae-ha said dramatically.

"Well since you're all here why don't you join us for lunch?" Ayame spoke up. "I'm sure that Elder Mundok will be pleased to see all of you."

"Yeah come on Lily, then we really can catch up." Yona smiled, taking her friend's hand and leading the way.

"Yona w-wait you shouldn't go so fast in your condition!" Lily protested, her bodyguards following right behind.

Hak just let out a sigh and rubbed his head. "Ayame please tell me the princess wasn't trying to push herself again? So where was she?" obviously he had been looking for Yona.

"Trying to handle the laundry duty on her own." Ayame chuckled. "Don't worry everyone here will try and keep an eye on her." She then turned to Saki and Han-dae. "I'll bring you two lunches to have while you're still on guard duty."

"Thanks Ayame!" Han-dae cried.

Saki just blushed a bit. "Well you don't really need to…"

"Come on then let's go before the princess tries to insist on doing more." Hak groaned as he walked towards his grandfather's place with Ayame.

That left Jae-ha and Valerie still at the entrance who decided to bring up the rear of the group, allowing them to talk for a moment.

"I must say she's quite impressive, and adorable." Valerie broke the moment of silence after a bit. "She's just my type as well, I can see what you like in her."

"Of course you would Val." Jae-ha chuckled softly, then grinned mischievously. "And it seems something in this area really caught your eye… Now that I think about it, didn't Hak mention that he was at the tournament you ran off to…" he was cut off by an elbow to his ribs. "Damn Val you're really sensitive about that subject, so THAT'S your type? I guess I should have been more brooding back when I was a stupid teenager if that was what you liked…. Or was it my brooding that you did find interesting and once I stopped it killed your buzz?" he teased.

" _Shut up_." Valerie's cheeks tinted red as he called her out on this. "You know that we never would have worked out, your perverted antics get on my nerves after a while when your ego inflates to the size of a palace, always reminds me of those jackasses that kidnapped me." She growled slightly. "But I'll admit that…. Meeting him made me come here to the Wind Tribe to deal but he's spoken for anyway, not that he'd ever look my way."

Jae-ha raised an eyebrow at that. "… Val if you're talking about the girl he's in love with, she's spoken for… By me." He pointed to himself. "Everyone here knows that he was in love with Yona sure, I bet that's what you heard but honestly now he's just sulking over the fact she'll never return his feelings because she shot him down in a similar fashion you did to me…. Just without the lovely memories of the pleasurable nights to go with it." He grinned, winking at her.

"Oh I heard about that for sure, that he was hopelessly in love with the princess." Valerie chuckled. "But I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about his fiancée."

Jae-ha froze in his tracks, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. _"…. What?"_

Valerie blinked as she noticed he stopped and turned towards him. "… Wait you don't know? Hak's engaged to Ayame."

The Green Dragon felt something snap in his mind as he couldn't believe that. " ** _W-WHAT?!_** " he nearly shouted. "… Val don't pull my leg seriously! How could he be…?"

"It's an arranged marriage by the elder, Hak's grandfather." Valerie explained. "Hak used to express how much he hated it, being told he's to marry Ayame when he got older."

 _'But all this time he's… No it's clear he loves Yona but he never told us that he's engaged!'_ Jae-ha's thoughts were all over the place now, trying to figure this out _. 'I doubt even Yona knows about this! She would have mentioned it as another reason she never thought of him that way… No wonder he wanted to come back here does that mean he's just going to settle with being forced into that marriage since Yona rejected him? Shit…. Dammit Jae-ha you really fucked up now, I thought for sure he'd never move on from Yona that's why I asked him to….'_ Now Jae-ha felt like a heel for his request he made to the Thunder Beast last week and revealing that he might die in a few years if the new Green Dragon is born. _'No wonder he was so fucking pissed at me, I thought it was just because of my dying and leaving Yona, but maybe it was also because he was sure that leaving Yona married to me was fine and he was just going to settle with his arranged marriage to get over her… And I go and drop that bomb on him that I might not live very long after my child is born…'_

"Jae-ha? Are you ok?" Valerie asked, breaking his train of thought.

"It's… It's nothing Val, just… A shock to find this out." Jae-ha said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And what about Ayame? Is she ok with the arrangement?"

Valerie shrugged. "She never really expresses a dislike in the arranged marriage."

"Huh, so that's interesting…." The Green Dragon rubbed his chin.

"What about you? From the day I met you, you always went on about not wanting to ever meet the Crimson Dragon and have your fate decided for you." Valerie pointed out, crossing her arms. "While I have to say Yona is darling adorable and I can see already what interests you, I'm still baffled you've chosen to chain yourself down to the very person you dreaded ever meeting and the fate that you refused to stop running away from."

Jae-ha chuckled at that. "Yona is nothing like what I thought back then what the Crimson Dragon would be like… It's not just the dragon's blood that draws me to her, it helped me find her sure, but she's won over my love and respect overtime. Did the captain tell you about the crazy things she did?"

"You mean getting the plant and shooting down Kumji herself? Yep, mother told me all about it." Valerie smirked at that. "She also said you looked smitten with Yona before you left, and not just that normal flirty look you'd have when hitting on the women in town. But at the same time she was baffled how much you were behaving yourself, that you weren't using those sugar coated words that made her gag usually."

Jae-ha chuckled at that one. "Yes the captain did call me out on that once, I figured she was suspicious but I was unaware of Yona's full charm on me right away, I kept blaming it on this blasted dragon's blood but then I reached a point I didn't care anymore. All I wanted was for Yona to be right by my side, even if her affection was for somebody else… Needless to say it shocked me when I found out her heart was captivated with my beautiful self."

Valerie flicked her fingers over his forehead as she grumbled. "There goes that ego of yours again, always when you want to deflect things from the serious subject… Like how easily you got her pregnant and that could mean the end of…"

Jae-ha hushed her quickly with a finger over her mouth. "…. She doesn't know that yet and I don't wish for her to find out right away, not while she's pregnant. Only a few select people know about that and I want to keep it that way until the baby is born. At least then Yona will have some happy time with the child before learning the horrible news that it's draining the life out of me, if the child even is the next Ryokuryuu." He sighed and pulled his hand back, running his fingers through his emerald hair. "If it's not then I don't want to stress her out for nothing. Even though a new dragon will be born eventually, it's best to not worry her about that right now."

"But it doesn't bother you that it could be your kid?" Valerie asked. "I mean I know you always meant to go get the next Ryokuryuu to spare them the hell you went through but damn, to have your own child be your death sentence…"

"Actually Val I couldn't be happier if it is my child." Jae-ha chuckled lightly. "I'll know the next Ryokuryuu is in the best capable hands and I'd never be like Garou was, I'll teach my child the joys of being the beautiful Ryokuryuu and to live their life to the fullest. I can't think of anyone more fitting to take my life than the proof of Yona's love for me." He smiled as his eyes looked ahead where his wife was pulling Lily along. "I just hope this blasted dragon's blood lets me live long enough to watch our child grow up, and at least have a few more years with Yona…" he then made a fist pump. "Besides I just have to be able to beat Garou's record, can't have that bastard have one thing over me! After all I'm far more beautiful and twice as stubborn as he was! So it'll be fine, really."

"What about Yona though? I'm sure it's going to kill her losing you." Valerie twisted her mouth at that.

"Yes she is far too beautiful and lovely to be a young widow, it's actually why I tried to push Hak into admitting his feelings for her before she confessed to being in love with me." Jae-ha sighed as he rubbed his cheek. "But sadly she's expressed only a brotherly love for Hak, but I'm sure given time she could grow to love him more than that, in fact I made a suggestion to him that when I'm gone…."

Valerie just stared at him in disbelief. _"… You what?_ … Seriously are you insane?"

"Hey I didn't know he was engaged!" Jae-ha quickly got defensive. "He's been moping and pining over Yona dear this whole time so I figured he'll never get over her and yet when I'm gone here he might still hold back on his feelings for her when honestly if he's there for her the odds are in his favor of her returning them…" he then let out a sigh. "But now I see that was a big mistake… Here I thought he might never move on with his life but at the same time I do wonder if running off into a loveless marriage is really the answer either, I mean if he doesn't look at Ayame that way…"

"He used to tell me he looked at her like a sister so you have a point there." Valerie tapped her cheek, thinking about it. "I suppose if he stubbornly stays single maybe he could end up with Yona after all, since we have no clue how long you'll be around."

"Of course there's always another option, since he's taken your interest sister dear." Jae-ha grinned.

"Oh no you don't!" Valerie's cheeks hinted a bit red, understanding the meaning of his words. "Not a damn word you understand? If you tell him I'll break that goddamn divine leg of yours and tell your wife every dirty secret I know!"

"Oh come on Val! This is the first time I've ever seen you show interest in a man!" Jae-ha snickered. "What's the harm in letting him know?"

"You could fuck up my friendship with him for one, and second it's clear he's not interested." Valerie grumbled.

"Val seriously, you said so yourself you hadn't seen him in a long while, and probably the last time you did he was still pinning over Yona dear." Jae-ha pointed out. "Granted he might still be hesitant to get into a relationship insisting he has to protect her and all, but I know that my dearest Yona has plans to talk to him about his freedom soon. He might still choose to go with that arranged marriage but that shouldn't stop him from a few options, right?"

"Not if he actually listens to your suggestion knowing you could croak in a few years." Valerie interjected. "Nice move there jackass, you probably have made him determined to sacrifice everything for a girl that might never return his love."

"Oh I'm sure given the time she could. But I know she does want him to move on, besides when I did tell him about that I never really expected him to agree, which for the record he didn't, instead he wanted to beat me to a pulp over the whole thing." Jae-ha laughed, then turned slightly serious. "I just wanted to throw the option out there, since I feel bad for him that perhaps it is my fault she never returned his feelings. Give enough time maybe she would have returned his feelings. I have what he's always been longing for, and I won't be able to enjoy it for as long as he could, since he has the option to grow old with her…"

Valerie placed a hand on his shoulder. "… You've changed in the past few years, the dumbass brother I last saw would never face his fate like this head on. Not to mention how much effort you're putting into ensuring she's taken care of after you're gone. You know it's quite a new attractive side to you, how come I could never spark this side?" she teased.

"Yona just has that magical touch I suppose." The Ryokuryuu laughed, winking at her. "Hmmm are you saying I would have had more luck with you if I were like this back then?"

"Nah I'd probably still think of you like my annoying little brother." Valerie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Awww come on! I don't get any age points for my growth?" Jae-ha pouted slightly.

"Oh you got some, but you still can't catch up to me." Valerie teased. "Doesn't matter we're the same age, my beauty, charm, talents and brain still outmatch yours, so you're forever the little brother."

"Fine, but I'm still taking the title of biggest pervert between us." Jae-ha flashed a grin.

"Nope, you lost that when you got married brother dear." Valerie wagged a finger in front of his face. "I'm still single and I can flaunt all I want, you've got a little wife now to be chained to and I'll help kick your ass if you flirt too much with the girls. Gotta look after my adorable sister in law after all."

Jae-ha snapped his fingers. "Damn, I can't argue with that logic."

"You always lose against me, that's why I'm the best." Valerie smirked, winking at him as she walked ahead. "Now let's join your pretty little wife shall we?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Valerie Nightmare is my OC introduced in the one shot "Far From What I Expected" also that one shot is where Yona wrote the letter and Jae-ha gave it to Valerie to deliver. This chapter was why I needed to write that one shot first before finishing this one lol I actually started this chapter back when 150 of the manga came out but I'm glad I didn't have it ready yet as I got to add in the new facts about Ayame being Hak's fiancee

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!


	5. Family Bonds

_"Come on Lily dear, you can't hog Yona-chan to yourself."_

 _"I told you already_ _ **NO**_ _. You got her pregnant at a_ _ **HORRIBLE**_ _time you! What is wrong with you?! Somebody needs to protect her!"_

 _"I already explained about that, and it takes two people to make a child you know Lily dear… Besides I never did anything without her permission."_

 _"I've seen how you can sweet talk girls, now stay away and start regretting your life choices!"_

 _"But I'm her_ _ **HUSBAND**_ _, can't I at least hug my beautiful wife?"_

 _"_ _ **NO**_ _."_

Everyone that had gathered for dinner was enjoying the spectacle in front of them once their meal had finished. Lily had clung to Yona the whole time and currently was possessively hugging the princess, while snarling each time Jae-ha got within even three feet of her. Tetora and Ayura stood in front of the princess and the Water Tribe General's Daughter, creating more distance. The rest of the Wind Tribe had gone about their business or turned in for the night, leaving just Yona's group and Lily with her bodyguards in the room at the moment.

"Give it up Droopy Eyes, Lily can be just as stubborn as the princess." Hak snorted a laugh as he was enjoying the Green Dragon's pain.

"Maybe Lily should have traveled with us, Yona never could have snuck around behind our backs with how possessive she gets." Yoon chuckled.

"They know your weakness brother dear, sure you'd fight the guys here if they tried to keep you from your wife, but a bunch of pretty ladies? No way." Valerie snickered. "Better keep that up Lily after the baby is born, or else Yona will probably end up pregnant again within the next week since he can't restrain himself."

" _HEEEEYYY_ I'm not **THAT** bad!" Jae-ha protested, crossing his arms in a pout. He then sweatdropped at the glares from his group that clearly said **_'YES YOU ARE'_** including his own wife. "Oh come on! Can you guys really blame me for indulging in my lovely wife?"

"Considering we've established you're a one-shot wonder, you'll probably easily knock her up again." Valerie joked. "Hope you're ready to be popping those cuties out one after another Yona sweetie."

"I'll keep him off you Yona!" Lily proclaimed, hugging the princess tighter.

Yona just blushed and looked away. "R-really Lily it's ok, you don't have to do this. I'm fine, really. I just… Need to learn to be a bit more careful I guess. But I do want this child and look forward to being a mother." She smiled warmly. "I even told Jae-ha I don't mind having more children with him, I was an only child myself and would had loved to have had a brother or sister."

"Oooohhh Yona my love you're so-" Jae-ha tried to move towards the girls again with his arms spread to hug them both when Lily smacked her foot into his face. "…. Lily dear, was that really called for?"

"Yona needs her rest." Lily huffed, still hugging her friend close.

Valerie chuckled. "This is kind of reminding me of that first time I took you to the Red Light District in Awa, Jae-ha. That time those girls-" she was cut off by the Green Dragon slapping his hand over her mouth.

"Sister dear, we've talked about this. You _SWORE_ never to speak of that to anyone because it **NEVER** happened." He sweatdropped, his cheeks turning slightly red.

Valerie laughed as she pushed his hand away. "Oh come on brother dearest, it's a funny story!"

Hak perked up at this. "Oh so Droopy Eyes wasn't always the smooth womanizer he is now Val? You gotta tell me this one."

Jae-ha suddenly looked pale. "…. Hak is the one you're forbidden from telling _ANYTHING_ to, sister dear…. And Kija might have a heart attack if you tell him."

" **HEY!** " the White Dragon protested, he had been slightly nodding off until he heard his name.

Yona blinked at their exchange. "You should tell me some things about my husband sometime Valerie, he doesn't like to talk about his past much." She smiled.

"Oh Yona my dear sister in law, I'd love to!" Valerie swooned, but Jae-ha snatched her by her arm and pulled her back.

"Sister dear, you start telling my wife certain things then I'm going to spill your little secret crush on- **_OW!_** " Jae-ha couldn't finish his sentence before Valerie silenced him with a timely elbow to the ribs.

"Ryokuryuu and his sister are so funny!" Zeno chuckled.

"It's nice to see someone that can finally pull one over on the pervert." Hak chuckled, getting up then. "I'm going to go check on Tae-yeon, he wasn't feeling well earlier today so Gramps is with him now."

"I'll come with you Hak, maybe he needs another dose of his medicine." Valerie offered, grabbing her bag with her supplies.

"Have fun you two- ** _AH!_** " Jae-ha said in a teasing tone until his adoptive sister stomped on his foot. He chuckled to himself when the two left. "Geez she's so sensitive on that subject."

"I'm confused Jae-ha, why is your sister so violent towards you whenever you make a joke about her around Hak?" Kija decided to ask.

The Green Dragon blinked as he turned to the group. "… Oh that, as much as Val loves to tease me, she gets ticked off if I tease her back when she actually likes someone. Especially since she's sure it's one-sided."

"You did say something about her having a crush on someone." Lily noted.

Yona blinked a few times, and then she seemed to get it. _"… Wait._ Jae-ha you're not saying that she likes Hak, are you?"

"Ahhh of course you figured it out my lovely." Jae-ha smirked, nodding once. "Yes, it's clear my dear sister has it bad for the Thunder Beast, but she's sure it's one-sided." He then twisted his mouth. "Besides she told me something… Interesting about him."

"Huh, I just thought they were good friends." Yoon noted. "But what did she tell you?"

"That Hak's engaged to Ayame." Jae-ha said, rubbing his head. "Something about it being arranged by the elder years ago."

 _"…. What?"_ Yona's eyes grew wide at this, she thought she was the only girl in Hak's life for the longest time. Especially since he left the tribe years ago to become her bodyguard. Now she felt bad for all the time she kept him away and even put his life at risk time and time again. "… But he never told any of us about this!" She especially now understood Ayame's attention towards the princess probably out of respect for Hak, not to mention how she insisted on serving dinner perhaps wanting to make something special for the Thunder Beast's return.

Kija and Yoon were shocked and speechless, Zeno just looked as surprised as the rest, Lily, Tetora and Ayura exchanged glances while Shin-ah just tilted his head, he'd been petting Ao the whole time and stayed quiet, only yawning now and again.

"Yeah I found that weird too, Val said he did express an extreme dislike in the arranged marriage, especially since he already liked someone…" Jae-ha explained, smiling at his wife that shivered and blushed since she knew that was clearly her… "But I just wonder if now he's just going along with it."

Yona frowned at that. "As much as I want Hak to move on with his life, he shouldn't force himself into something." She then stood up, pulling away from Lily. "I should go talk to him."

"But Yona-" Lily protested.

"Knowing the Lightning Beast, Yona might be the only one he'd listen to." Yoon nodded. "Just don't go and mix up your words again Yona, last time you made it sound like he was unneeded and that's what made him explode his confession that he was trying to hold back since you were marrying Jae-ha." The boy genius warned.

Yona flushed as she remembered that outburst. "… Yeah I'll try not to make that mistake again…" she groaned though as she wrapped her arms around her stomach that was clearly bothering her once she moved, feeling slightly dizzy.

"Princess do you need any help?" Kija offered right away.

"I'll be fine, really. You seem tired anyway Kija." Yona smiled, waving him off. She took two steps forward but then tripped, after all she couldn't even see her feet these days and fell right into her husband's arms as he moved to catch her right away.

"Yona darling you've been pushing yourself all week despite our protests, I think it's catching up to you." Jae-ha chuckled, holding her close. "How about I go get Hak and tell him to come see you?"

The redhead pursed her lips, but sighed and nodded. "Alright, but don't start another fight with him, husband."

"I promise, princess of my heart." Jae-ha chuckled, leaning in to kiss her once and then turning to the Seiryuu. "Shin-ah, would you be so kind as to take Yona to our room?"

The Blue Dragon nodded, Ao purring on his shoulder as he came over and offered a hand to the princess. "… You should take it easy Yona."

"Pukkkyyuuu!" Ao squeaked on his shoulder, as if agreeing with him.

"I'll stay with you until Hak comes." Lily offered, holding a hand over her mouth to muffle a yawn. It was getting late after all.

"And I'll put together something for your stomach, since it seems to be bugging you again, probably that huge dinner we had, Ayame said everyone in the Wind Tribe has been helping out with you here." Yoon added, as the four of them walked towards the room Yona and Jae-ha were staying in.

Jae-ha smiled as he headed down the corridor towards Tae-yeon's room, where he expected to find the Thunder Beast. Once he heard voices, he knew he was going in the right direction. As he approached close enough to listen, he stopped at the door, not wanting to walk in on them just yet.

"That should do for the morning, then I'll give him another dose. I'm surprised how quickly he fell asleep this time compared to other attacks." Valerie said, tucking in the young boy, who seemed to be fast asleep. Son Mundok had already left and turned in for the night so it was just Valerie and Hak in the room at the moment.

"Thanks Val, you're always a lifesaver around here." Hak said with a smile. "Still hard to believe though that you're Droopy Eye's sister… Even though it's clear it was more than that…"

"Well not his blood sister, but still close enough." Valerie giggled. "We were a thing for a little while and I ended it because it got… _Complicated_." She rubbed her cheek. "I mean don't get me wrong, having him as my personal student and the way we could test things on each other was cute and all but… I would have hurt him pretty bad if I let things keep going the way they did. We really do work out best as brother and sister and not as lovers, even though he got really good at sex and we always had a blast being casual fuck buddies. I guess I still just like to keep my heart under lock and key to not get hurt, or those around me get hurt." She sighed. "I know my rejection stung on him for a few years and it's all the more reason I left back then, sure we parted on good terms but I could tell he was hurt. And really it was all me, I guess I never fully got over when I was kidnapped all those years ago and there are times his smugness can remind me of them…"

 _'She always was stubborn about letting me in, Hak must have really swept her off her feet for her to lower her guard this much.'_ Jae-ha just smiled to himself. _'Oh sister dear, I forgave you for that years ago. It's just that I was a very impressionable youth back then and you were my first love after all…'_

"… Do you still get those nightmares?" Hak asked after a moment. "I remember that time you were staying here because gramps insisted the weather was too harsh for further travel... Then suddenly, in the middle of the night, you woke up screaming… I rushed in thinking we were under attack."

Valerie blushed a bit and looked away. "I'm still sorry about that time Hak, but you were… Really kind to me that day. And yeah… They come back sometimes…" she shivered.

"You know you don't always have to put on a brave face like that." Hak pointed out, patting her shoulder. "You remind me of the princess that way, trying not to bother everyone else and holding back."

"Why do I always end up showing my bad side to you?" Valerie grumbled, running her fingers through her hair.

"Because unlike your idiotic brother I won't tease you about it?" Hak snorted a laugh. "… Nah I'll still tease you, but not in front of everyone else since you'll deflect it twice as hard there but not when I can corner you like this."

"Damn, you already know all my tricks!" Valerie giggled a bit. "I don't know Hak I just always felt like I can trust you. You're dependable after all."

"Yeah you could say that, actually a lot of people seem to think I'm dependable, for one reason or another... Almost like I'm their tool…" Hak slightly grumbled. "… Is it true that Droopy Eyes wanted to break into his village to steal away the next Green Dragon?" he suddenly decided to ask.

 _'What did Hak think I was making up that part?'_ Jae-ha made a face as he listened to them.

"Yeah, he used to tell me about how his predecessor used to beat the living tar out of him, claiming he was sucking the life right from him..." Valerie shivered just thinking about it. "Jae-ha would never do that to the next Ryokuryuu, especially now that it could be his own child. He always told me he never wanted another person to go through what he did." Her eyes strayed away for a moment. "… So I heard he told you about…"

" _Yeah…_ " Hak ran his hand through his hair. "… The princess still doesn't know that her husband might die on her in a few years after their kid is born. He told me that he's going to tell her once the baby comes and especially right away if it is a dragon… That's really going to kill her, finding out she's going to lose him this way…"

"It would have happened anyway, Hak." Valerie brought up. "And who knows? Maybe he'll live a while since Yona needs protection still, right? I mean a little kid can't protect the Crimson Dragon so maybe it'll wait until their kid is at least a teenager and able to hold their own, by then Jae-ha will be like almost 40, not really fit to be a stronger and fast fighter and all, maybe that's why the dragon's blood insists on passing down right now...?" she sighed and shook her head.

"The thing is, with one dragon already on the way possibly, it makes me wonder if a new Seiryuu and Hakuryuu will be born soon too." Hak said with a sorrowful expression. "Those guys… They're family now. I already saw how much it tore her apart in Xing when we nearly lost them… It just feels like her pain is never going to end."

"…. What about your pain?" Valerie asked after a moment. "… Hak, how are you holding up? I mean, I know you were in love with Yona but…"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Hak grumbled, holding a hand over his face. "I gave up on any glimmer of hope of her returning my feelings a long damn time ago. I accidentally blurted it out to her in the heat of the moment because I was so damn frustrated right then. I never meant for her to find out, ever." He sighed, turning to Valerie. "I'd be fine if I knew she was safe and happy with her husband, but finding out he's going to drop dead on her… And then when he asked me to…" he quickly shut up.

 _'Yeah I really made a mistake there, me and my stupid ideas….'_ Jae-ha sighed to himself. _'I was really hoping he'd finally act on that one-sided love for Yona and take back what I basically took from him… I'm sure given maybe a few years she might have returned his feelings… But I don't want him to throw away his own chance at happiness if he has one…'_

"He told me about that, I already scolded him about it." Valerie tried to joke, but then turned serious. "Would you do it though? I mean Yona might cling onto someone with her husband passing away after all, and if you can't get over her… I mean it's not like you're jumping at marrying Ayame are you?"

"… Oh that? Ehhh I thought about it, going through with that blasted arranged marriage from the old man…" Hak rubbed his temple. "I mean the princess is bugging me to just move on with my life and all that, she already expressed that whole _'giving me back my freedom'_ in Xing when the time is right she said, but I already told her I'm not leaving her." He grumbled in frustration just remembering that misunderstanding. "But I honestly think Ayame and Saki have been clinging together for a while now, she just doesn't have the guts to bring it up to gramps yet. As far as the other thing… I just feel like I'd be stomping over Jae-ha's grave if I went after the princess so shortly after he died… I mean don't get me wrong of course I'll try to be there for Yona, and their child just… I don't expect anything from the princess in return… Besides I'd feel like I could never compare to him with the way he makes her happy. After all, it's because of him I think that she was able to move on and get rid of that hairpin, he's actually healed her heart in a way I was desperately searching for to help her. Not to mention the fact I've never see her happier than she is with him in all the time I've known her..." he then made a face. "Don't tell Droopy Eyes I said that."

 _'Oh Hak, you're selling yourself short.'_ Jae-ha snorted a laugh _. 'But I'm glad he's not rushing off into a possible loveless marriage…'_

"I won't." Valerie giggled, then yawned right then. "Damn I think I ate too much, I'm awful tired."

"Yeah I think I need to turn in myself." Hak groaned, rubbing his head and standing up. He then stepped out of the room and blinked when he came across the Green Dragon. "… What is it Droopy Eyes?"

"Ah Hak, there you are." Jae-ha smirked, making it look like he just came around the corner. "My lovely wife has sent for me to get you, she'd like to have a little chat."

" _Alright…?"_ Hak raised his eyebrow, shaking his head to try and shake the feeling of being sleepy. "Just what is this about?"

"I'm afraid she didn't say the details, just that she wanted to talk to you." Jae-ha shrugged his shoulders. "She wanted to come herself but she was awfully tired, so I suggested Shin-ah take her to her room, that's where she's waiting for you." He said, then grinned. "Maybe she's got a new type of pregnancy craving for-" **_WHAM!_** Hak smacked him right in the face with the back of his hand.

"I am way too tired for your perverted shit, Droopy." Hak grumbled.

"Brother dear you really have a knack for saying things at the worst of times." Valerie chuckled as she came up behind them.

"Oh you know me Val, I simply can't resist." Jae-ha chuckled, then yawned. "Hopefully it won't be long as I'm exhausted myself and cannot wait to finally be able to cuddle my sleeping wife. Although Lily dear acting so protective of Yona darling is adorable, she's also exhausting."

"Somebody needs to keep you in line and Lily seems to be doing it just fine." Hak chuckled, stepping back into the main room and blinking at the sight before him. _"… What happened here?"_

Kija, Tetora and Ayura were all passed out on the floor, sleeping soundly.

"That's weird… I don't recall Kija even touching the alcohol we had at dinner because he wanted to be alert." Jae-ha rubbed his temple. "It's not like him to pass out so carelessly like that… Not to mention Lily's bodyguards…"

Valerie suddenly clung onto her brother's shoulder, holding her head. " _Damn_ … Why am I so dizzy?" her eyes then widened. "Wait, didn't all the others say they were tired too right after dinner?"

Jae-ha blinked at that, he had brushed off his slight dizziness on exhaustion after all. "What do you mean Val…?" but that's when a yell interrupted them.

" **Ryokuryuu! Mister!** " Zeno came rushing down the hallway, panic stricken in his face.

"What is it Zeno?" Hak asked, noticing the Yellow Dragon's expression.

"Hakuryuu and the ladies suddenly collapsed, I passed out myself for a moment until I came back to and realized…" Zeno was so panicked he dropped his normal third person speak. "I went to check quickly and the little miss is gone! So is the lad and the general's daughter!"

" ** _WHAT?!_** " Hak gasped, his eyes wide but he didn't even get a chance to react as fast as Jae-ha did, rushing right to his shared room with the princess.

" **YONA!** " Jae-ha rushed over to the room, looking around in a panic. Shin-ah was out cold on the floor, his pet squirrel pushing on his cheek as if trying to wake him up. Jae-ha bent down to look the Seiryuu over, and that's when he felt another rush in his head, one that reminded him of the time he took the Nadai… "…. We've been drugged… Someone gave him a large enough dose to mess with his senses so he didn't see them coming when they knocked him out."

"Jae-ha, is he…?" Hak came running up to him, Valerie slowly following behind until she couldn't take anymore, she passed out as the Thunder Beast caught her before she hit the floor.

The Green Dragon shook his head. "Shin-ah's ok, he's just knocked out. They somehow got the drop on him, or waited for him to pass out from the narcotic. Take care of Val." He then forced himself to stand up, and then quickly moved outside. It was pitch black, the odds of seeing anyone were extremely low, but he just had to give it a shot. Instead of intruders, he found Tae-woo and Han-dae, who had the night watch, passed out on the ground at the front gate. He tried waking them with no luck. "They were with us at dinner so they got it too… Meaning whoever took the girls and Yoon could have easily passed through here."

With a quick jump, he tried to search the skies immediately for any sign of his wife and their friends. Panic was rushing through his head that here they seemed safe at the Wind Tribe and yet suddenly this happened. But jumping through the skies wasn't easy, suddenly his whole world was spinning around and his head was throbbing, he crashed into a nearby tree as he couldn't control himself. " _Yona…._ " He let out a strangled sob as he tried to untangle himself from the branches.

" **Ryokuryuu!** " Zeno called from below, right before the Green Dragon fell right on top of him. " **OW**! Good thing Zeno's bones can heal…."

"…. _Dammit_ … I can't jump like this and I…." Jae-ha held his head, his body feeling extremely heavy as he rolled off the Ouryuu. "Zeno, where is Hak?"

"The mister passed out shortly after you ran off, he tried to take off after you but the drug seems to have broken him down too." Zeno answered with a frown. "My powers are the only reason I'm still awake, it only made me pass out for a moment and then I realized we'd all been drugged… It must have been hidden in the food so that's why nobody tasted anything…"

"But that means… Someone in the Wind Tribe _…. Betrayed us."_ Jae-ha strained to keep his eyes open, he struggled to get up but his body wouldn't obey. "Yona… I have to go find her, Yoon and Lily…"

"Not in your condition. Get some rest, Zeno will go look for them." Zeno said with a hard look on his face. "… The miss won't die so easily, and the lad is resourceful." With that the Yellow Dragon stood up and headed into the nearby forest, to see if he could figure out for himself where the kidnappers went.

"I never should have left her side…." Jae-ha held a hand over his face as he felt his consciousness slipping away as tears floated down his cheeks. This wasn't the first time Yona had gotten in danger behind their backs nor the first time she'd been kidnapped… But this time she was extremely pregnant and more vulnerable than ever _…_ Images of his wife flashed through his mind as his world went dark. _"Yona…. Please be safe…"_


	6. The Nightmare Search

Ayame groaned as she woke up holding her head. She had passed out in the kitchen while cleaning up as she sat down merely for a few minutes. She wondered why her head was throbbing so badly considering she hadn't touched any of the alcohol all the adults were partaking in during the dinner. She sighed as she realized she must have overslept and decided to get to her morning duties. That's when she heard the door fly open with a slam.

 ** _"Ayame."_**

She whipped her head around to see who called to her, it was Hak, his eyes full of rage and murderous intent. It sent a shiver down her spine as she'd never seen the Lightning Beast so angry in her life. She wondered what in the world could have gotten into him? " _Hak_ … You scared me." She chuckled weakly. "What's wrong? Your hangover getting to you?"

He didn't answer, instead the Thunder Beast took a few steps closer and punched his fist against the wall beside her head, making it crack. _"… Why…?"_ he hissed in a low voice.

" _Huh_?" Ayame blinked, confused by his question. "Why what?"

He clenched his other hand into a fist, looking almost ready to punch her, but he brought that hand to her shoulder, gripping firmly. "… Why would you betray the Wind Tribe? And me?"

The girl was completely confused by that. "Betray you? Why would I do that? Hak let me go!" she struggled a bit as his grasp was starting to hurt.

"Ayame, Princess Yona has been kidnapped." Mundok walked in behind the Thunder Beast, then grabbed his grandson's shoulder. "… Easy boy, we don't know for sure if she was the one that did it."

"She's the one that served dinner! Who else had the perfect opportunity to drug us?!" Hak snapped, that murderous look in his eyes getting worse.

"Princess Yona has been taken?!" Ayame gasped, her eyes wide with horror. "And what do you mean you were drugged…?" she then realized that's why she was feeling so weird almost as if she did have a hangover.

"Hak it's not her." Valerie stepped in next, her arms crossed over her chest. "Look at her, she's affected by the drug too."

"She could have taken it just to throw us off!" Hak protested, growling at the healer before going back to his fiancée. "Now tell us what you know Ayame! We have the find the Princess, Yoon and Lily immediately!"

"Hak you're scaring me!" Ayame cried, shutting her eyes and struggling some more.

"Lord Hak please!" Saki came running in with Tae-woo. "I know Ayame, she'd never betray us!"

"You're just saying that because you love her, don't be blind!" Hak snapped.

"And you're blinded by rage!" Valerie immediately grabbed Hak's arm, and the minute he tried to protest she snatched his other hand and flipped him onto his back after forcing his grip off Ayame. Valerie glared as she stomped her foot on his chest. "Don't even try to fight me Hak, I was raised by a rough, though, pirate mother. And I've been training since we last sparred." She smirked. "Now listen to what she has to say and stop looking ready to murder everyone in your path, Kija's already doing that."

Hak looked shocked for a moment that he was overpowered, but sighed and closed his eyes. _"… Fine."_

"Ayame, who helped with dinner last night?" Tae-woo asked.

"A lot of people… I couldn't even name everyone at once…" Ayame whimpered. "All week everybody has just been so eager to help I never thought anything of it! I should have been more careful! I'm so sorry!" she bawled out crying as Saki hugged her.

"In other words, it could be impossible to find the culprit, even if they stayed here." Mundok rubbed his chin in thought. "But how did they find out the princess is here?"

"Perhaps they followed us here." Tetora answered as she and Ayura waited by the doorway. "Whoever took them could have been tracking Lady Lily… And we failed to notice."

Valerie shook her head. "No, we weren't followed. I made sure of that."

"That's true, but we found this in the room Lady Lily was taken." Ayura held up a parchment.

"Wait a minute _… Is that…?"_ Hak gasped as he was finally able to stand up since Valerie rushed over to look at the paper.

"… This is the letter that Yona sent to Lily." Valerie confirmed, crushing the paper in her hands. "I told Lily to dispose of this!"

"It seems Lady Lily didn't do so properly… I should have done it instead…" Tetora held her head low.

Ayura shook her head. "She insisted on being the only one with it… There was nothing more we could have done… But we should have stayed more alert. We got complacent and this is what we get for it."

" _Dammit_ , if they found that letter and decoded it somehow…" Valerie clenched her fists. "That would have given them the perfect timing to figure out when Yona would be here. Whoever it is that took it."

"What do we do now, Lord Hak?" Tae-woo asked.

"… You're the general of the Wind Tribe now, this is a job for you. Question everyone in the Wind Tribe, see if somebody is missing in case they were the one that kidnapped the princess, Yoon and Lily…" Hak said, still that dark look on his face as he glanced at Ayame who was still crying in Saki's arms. "… I'm going to check on Droopy Eyes to see if he's woken up yet and we'll start searching. White Snake and Shin-ah already went to look for Zeno since nobody could find him, odds are he rushed off seeing if he could find the princess."

"Alright…" Tae-woo nodded, feeling the weight of his responsibility now.

"I'll help you there." Mundok said, patting the young general's shoulder.

"Last I checked on brother dear, he was still passed out." Valerie sighed, walking out of the kitchen with Hak. "When we found him passed out by that tree…" she shivered a bit.

"I can imagine how he must have been feeling in that moment…" Hak replied as they walked. "The last time the princess was kidnapped I nearly lost my mind while he stayed surprisingly calm. Of course, by now I know he must've been holding back so none of us would realize that those two were already in a relationship at that time."

"Knowing Jae-ha, he probably broke down later." Valerie chuckled and shook her head. "He doesn't like to show his worry in front of others. He must had been holding up for you guys, knowing that falling apart wouldn't help get Yona back and you guys were on limited time."

"Yeah but this time is different… She's his wife and pregnant with their child…" Hak replied, clenching his teeth at the thought of how he would react if he was in Jae-ha's place right now… Yeah he was sure his rage would be even worse than in Xing when the dragons were nearly taken by High Priest Gobi.

They made their way to the room the Green Dragon was placed in, he was stirring a bit as he was finally waking up. Hak and the others had only woken up recently and their heads were splitting from the drug's aftermath. Kija rushed out immediately when he realized Zeno wasn't around, since the White Dragon could track him down by sensing him. Shin-ah felt horrible for having the princess taken when he was right there, so he obviously went with his dragon brother to help search.

" _Jae-ha?_ " Valerie bent down to check on her adopted brother, brushing her hand over his forehead.

" ** _YONA!_** " Jae-ha sprang up, horror on his face and sweat covering his body as the drug's effects had his head throbbing. He took a few moments to get his bearings as he turned to Hak.

"… Yeah, it's not a nightmare." The Thunder Beast seemed to answer his unasked question. "But we need you to get it together so we can find your wife."

About a thousand different expressions went through the Ryokuryuu's face, mostly between horror and rage. "Where's Zeno…? He said he was going to try and search…"

"He hasn't come back yet." Valerie answered. "Kija and Shin-ah went to go find him."

"Alright, I can track them too so….. _Unnn…_ " Jae-ha tried to get up but his world was still spinning as Hak gave him a hand in standing. " _Dammit_ … Any idea who drugged us?"

"No, I thought I knew who it was but everyone insists otherwise…" Hak replied, his eyes straying to side as he was still distrustful of Ayame.

"Jae-ha maybe you should rest a bit first…" Valerie said, grabbing her brother's shoulder and handing him a glass of water that she mixed a powder into to help dull the effects of the drug's aftermath.

The Green Dragon shook his head as they headed outside. "No, I'll be fine. I can travel the fastest of us so it'll be easier for me to catch up. Not to mention the fact I can look from above, they got a huge head start by traveling all night possibly with the girls and Yoon." He clenched his fist. "Yona dear won't go down without a fight, neither will Yoon. And together they'll protect Lily dear. We just need to find them before…" his words trailed off. It wasn't that he didn't trust his wife, after all both she and Yoon were resourceful and had handled being away from their group before… But Yona was very close to term right now, and that could easily slow her down more.

"Alright, then I'm coming with you." Valerie said, then turned to Hak. "Hak you stay here and see what you can find out, after all you know the people of the Wind Tribe best and be more likely notice any odd behavior. We'll meet up with the other dragons and see if Zeno found anything."

The Thunder Beast twisted his mouth at that, but he knew that Jae-ha couldn't carry both of them and he'd just end up far behind. And Jae-ha had said before that Hak was very heavy, so in his weakened state it would be easier for the Green Dragon to carry Valerie. For now, Hak could help Tae-woo focus on discovering who did this. " _Alright_ … Just be sure to send someone to get me to join you guys if you find them."

"After all we can't let you be late to the party." Jae-ha smirked as he lifted Valerie onto his back, then took one leap into the air. "Damn whatever they gave us still has my head spinning…" he grumbled. "At least it's not as bad as that time with the Nadai…"

Valerie raised her eyebrow at that. "I heard from Lily you guys got involved with the Nadai incident in the Water Tribe, and that you got your ass drugged back there. Didn't mother and I teach you better than that to help identify a drug in alcohol? I mean the only reason this got past me was because it was obviously mixed into our food…"

Jae-ha chuckled at that as he landed on the ground and went into another jump. "Actually I figured out what it was at that time, but my weakness for wrapping up ladies in silk got the better of me. I couldn't just sit there and let a lovely young woman subject herself to that. Trust me I regretted it almost immediately, especially with the look on Yona dear's face when she found me… The drug messed with my head so much I was dreaming of her taking advantage of my unconscious state and kissing me while professing her love." He smirked slightly at the memory, unbeknownst to him that actually happened. "It was then I realized just how badly I'd fallen for her, as during the time I was there at the Red Light, I felt gloomy for leaving her side, she was always on my mind. It reached the point that I didn't care anymore if it was the dragon's blood that influenced my feelings, I just wanted to be by her side. I never dreamed she actually returned my feelings, as she told me that finding my unbeautiful self in that condition shook her to the core and made her realize her love for me." His smile turned into a serious frown as he took the next jump, obviously thinking about the danger his wife was currently in.

" _Hey_ … We'll find her ok?" Valerie tried to reassure her brother, snaking her head over his shoulder. "And we'll make these bastards pay for stealing her, Yoon and Lily away. After all, she's the Crimson Dragon, right? That means she's got to have the divine protection of the gods themselves, yes? There's no way she'll go down that easily…" she was obviously trying to ease his mind a little.

Jae-ha's expression changed when he felt his dragon brothers closer. "There they are." He pointed ahead, they could see Zeno even as he was being untied from a tree by Kija and Shin-ah. The Ryokuryuu landed right behind them right as the White Dragon was turning towards him, obviously having sensed his arrival. "What happened here?"

"We just found him here." Shin-ah replied.

" _Sorry Ryokuryuu…_ Zeno got tied up." Zeno sighed as he was freed. "Zeno thinks he was on the trail of the ones that took lad and the miss, but then some men were ready for him but didn't attack… Had they struck me at least my powers would have activated, Zeno has no strength unless he is injured…" he grumbled, feeling his wrists as they were cut free by Shin-ah. "But the one with them told the men not to strike Zeno…"

"Who was with them?" Valerie asked.

"It was one man from the Wind Tribe, he was avoiding the Four Dragons and the miss since we got into town. Zeno thinks the mister would know who he is, because Zeno remembers seeing him before but cannot recall his name." Zeno shrugged. "But that would explain why no one noticed something was up, he must have slipped the drug into the ingredients used on the food. It would have been easy to blend in with all the people that were helping out, Zeno guesses."

"So that someone like Ayame that we trust would serve it and we wouldn't know a thing…" Jae-ha balled his hands into fists at that. "… Hiding under a beautiful lady is a wretched thing to do."

"And since we've been in town for a week, they could have found out about Zeno's powers from anyone in the Wind Tribe that knows of us." Kija hissed at that. "The princess was telling Tae-yeon the other day all about our powers, and if they questioned the child…"

"Zeno which way did they go?" Jae-ha asked.

"Zeno saw them head that way." The Yellow Dragon pointed to the North. "They said something about waiting for someone important coming this way."

"Alright, go back and get Hak to meet up with us." Kija suggested, which Zeno nodded and rushed off right away then turned to the Blue Dragon. "Shin-ah, do you see anything that way?"

The Seiryuu had already lifted his mask and was searching ahead with his eyes. "… There are soldiers in that direction… They look like they're from… The Sky Tribe."

"The Sky Tribe?" Jae-ha repeated with wide eyes. "Why are they here?"

"Could it be whoever took Yona sold her out to King Soo-won?" Valerie asked. "Hak mentioned things were dicey in Xing and that Yona's life could easily be in danger if they find out she's pregnant."

"That's true but…" Kija looked to the side. "King Soo-won has run into the princess before and usually hasn't tried to kill her outright. From what she told us, the last time her life was in danger was because the king's advisor wanted her out of the way, it's actually Hak that the Sky Tribe is usually worried about."

"Well we won't know for sure unless we check, I'm going to jump ahead and see where they are going." Jae-ha said, turning to Valerie. "Coming with me sis?"

"Of course." Valerie smirked, climbing onto his back again.

That's when the White Dragon noticed the Seiryuu stiffened a bit. "… Shin-ah, what is it?"

"I see… They have Lily with them." Shin-ah answered after a moment. "But Yona and Yoon aren't there… Just her. She's arguing with them and trying to pull away."

"We better hurry then!" Valerie cried, and before she could say anymore the Green Dragon kicked off into the air. She noticed Kija and Shin-ah immediately heading further into the forest to try and follow them.

"I'll try to land close enough that we can see what's going on, we don't need them using Lily as a hostage." Jae-ha noted, and with three more jumps he saw the group of soldiers along with the dark haired girl struggling. He landed in a nearby tree and let Valerie climb off as they watched.

"I said let me go!" Lily struggled as one of the soldiers held her. "I told you that I wasn't kidnapped! Now let me go back to the Wind Tribe to check on my friend!"

"Sounds like she just woke up from the drug recently…" Valerie whispered. "She might not know that Yona was kidnapped as well."

"But she just said she wasn't kidnapped…" Jae-ha countered. "… What does she mean by that?"

"Forgive us Lady Lily, but we have direct orders from Advisor Kye-sook to bring you back to the palace immediately." One of the soldiers said.

"My bodyguards are back in the Wind Tribe, they'll be searching for me!" Lily protested further. "And for the last time I wasn't held against my will in the Wind Tribe! I was there visiting a friend!"

"Advisor Kye-sook said he will inform them, so there is no need to worry." Another soldier replied.

"Ah that's what she meant, they think she was kidnapped when she left with me to get here." Valerie noted.

Jae-ha narrowed his eyebrows. "Kye-sook… I think I recall Yona dear mentioning him before. He was the one that tried to talk the Sky Tribe into killing Yona as a spy for Xing until Lily dear showed up to prove who she really was."

"Do you think he's the one behind kidnapping her?" Valerie asked in a soft whisper.

The Ryokuryuu nodded. "I wouldn't put it past him, after all I doubt he'd be thrilled knowing Yona dear has a child on the way who would have a legitimate claim to the throne."

"So how should we go about this?" Valerie asked, lifting her dress a bit to pull out a hidden sword she had strapped to her leg.

" _Always prepared._ " Jae-ha chuckled, shaking his head as he got his knives ready. "We shouldn't rush in though, just wait for the right-" he was interrupted as a giant white hand knocked two soldiers over.

"Where is the princess?!" Kija roared as he took out two more, Shin-ah right behind him to block a sword swing.

 _"Kija…."_ Jae-ha facepalmed at this. "Oh well, so much for that!" he quickly tossed the knives into the shoulder of the man holding Lily, forcing him to release the girl.

"Eh, your dragon brother sure knows how to make an entrance." Valerie giggled, jumping from their hiding spot and coming over to Lily right away. "You ok girl?"

" **Valerie!** Oh thank goodness!" Lily cried. "Is Yona ok? What happened?"

Valerie turned to block a slash coming for her. "In a minute sweetie, just stay behind me."

Kija growled as he took one soldier and pinned him to a tree, covering half the man's body with his giant dragon hand. "Tell me where the princess is or else!"

"Princess? W-what are you talking about?!" the soldier cried, his eyes wide with fear.

"It's a monster!" another screamed before Shin-ah deflected his strike, spun around and elbowed him in the face, knocking him out cold.

Jae-ha did a quick spin on his human foot to knock down the remaining soldiers with his dragon leg, smirking as Valerie had his back and got the last two. "Kija, take it easy. With your temper right now, you'll break their necks before we get any answers." Having warned his brother, the Ryokuryuu straightened up and strolled over to grab the soldier that had been holding Lily, beginning his interrogation. "You men got this lovely lady from somewhere, and your pals must be holding two more of our group. Just how did Advisor Kye-sook find Lily dear here?"

"Y-you people are the monsters aren't you?!" the soldier cried. "Advisor Kye-sook warned us about you! He said you were the people that kidnapped Lady Lily!"

"And I told you that they didn't kidnap me! They're my friends and I came to the Wind Tribe by my own will!" Lily shouted. "How many times must I say this?!"

Valerie glared as she drew her sword to the soldier's throat. "There's plenty of you here to question when they wake up sweetie, so I suggest you start talking. Unlike my brother here, I can show you a little mercy."

"H-he claimed to have found this letter that was coded and told us that Lord Joon-gi's daughter had been kidnapped!" the soldier immediately started spilling.

 _"Letter?"_ Lily's eyes widened and her heart sank at that.

"We only met up with him a few hours ago, when he handed off Lady Lily to us. He told us to return her to the palace and that he had other matters that needed his attention here." The soldier replied.

"Where was he?" Kija asked, threatening the man with his dragon hand. He had to switch targets because the man he was questioning had fainted from fear by this point.

"Just a few miles from here, he was alone with Lady Lily." The soldier replied. "He had sent for us about a week ago, saying that she was kidnapped and being held against her will here near the Wind Tribe and that they couldn't be trusted."

"That's when we arrived in town." Shin-ah noted.

"And since we found the letter left behind then it must have been Kye-sook that got his hands on it." Valerie added.

"… Oh my god, this is all my fault!" Lily whimpered, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed. "I didn't dispose of that letter properly like you told me to do! Oh no now Yona is…."

"The princess will be fine." Hak interrupted as he, Zeno and Tae-woo had just arrived, having heard part of the conversation. "Now where is she?"

"These guys don't know, just the general direction they met up with Advisor Kye-sook." Jae-ha explained.

Hak's expression turned dark at the mention of that name. "… We need to find her. _NOW_. That guy won't hesitate in killing her just to keep Soo-won on the throne… I saw the way he was looking at her as a threat back in Xing…"

"Hak I'm so sorry this is all my fault!" Lily sobbed, Tae-woo came over to pat her on the back.

"Hey there, it's ok…" the young general frowned seeing her so upset. "We didn't expect someone to betray us in the Wind Tribe either…"

"Any luck finding out who planted the drug?" Kija asked.

"From what Zeno told me, it sounds like it's actually Ayame's father." Hak replied with a scowl on his face. "So I still can't rule her out, but we found the drug laced in her family's spices and he's disappeared. The description Zeno gave me of the one that helped tie him up matches perfectly."

"Of course, he gave it to his daughter so we wouldn't suspect him…" Valerie twisted her mouth at that. "… But why would he betray Yona?"

 _"I don't know…"_ Hak replied with a growl, holding his glaive at the soldier they were questioning. "We better take these guys back to the Wind Tribe for further questioning. The old man can get them to spill their guts."

"Alright, you guys do that, I'm going to scout around the area and see if I can find anything." Jae-ha said, standing up straight and handing off the soldier to Valerie. "I'll meet you guys back at the Wind Tribe."

"I could come with you." Valerie offered.

The Green Dragon shook his head this time. "I'll move faster on my own Val, and I need to cover as much ground as possible. They could have gotten anywhere by now, since as this guy said Yona and Yoon weren't with Lily when she was handed to them. That means they must be in the hands of some mercenaries or worse bandits… Sounds like Kye-sook couldn't afford to trust the Sky Tribe Soldiers with the information where Yona dear is, so he made sure they wouldn't see her."

"Alright but don't do anything foolish on your own, Droopy Eyes." Hak warned. "Come and get us the minute you find something."

" ** _Pukkkyuu!_** " Ao poked out from Shin-ah's wig.

"…. I'm going to search some more too." The Seiryuu spoke up.

"Alright but don't go too far Shin-ah." Kija nodded. "Both of you head back to the Wind Tribe in an hour or so and we'll see what we can find out."

Valerie nodded. "I agree, that way we can gather our thoughts."

 _"Alright…"_ Jae-ha leapt back into the air, frantically searching once again.

Hak clutched at the guardian stone he was still wearing that Yona had given him months back, cursing himself how he could let this happen when Valerie pat him on the shoulder.

"Hey, sitting here in self-doubt isn't going to fix anything." She reminded him. "Let's get these guys back to Fuuga."

Two hours later Jae-ha and Shin-ah came back only to find that questioning the soldiers didn't bring them much more information, Mundok agreed they couldn't let these men leave until they had the princess safe, after all they couldn't risk that the soldiers would tell Soo-won what was going on, and it was clear the king wasn't informed on any of this.

"You'd think General Joo-doh would have noticed Kye-sook taking some of his soldiers." Tae-woo noted.

"With all the fuss that happened back in Xing, he probably just said he needed some bodyguards because he ran into some trouble." Hak reasoned. "But give it a few days and he might come out here to check for himself… All the more reason as soon as we get the princess and Yoon back, we need to get out of here fast."

"… I cannot express how sorry I am that we weren't able to provide a proper shelter like I promised…" Mundok held his head low.

"Elder Mundok this isn't your fault!" Ayame whimpered. "It's mine for not knowing! I still can't believe my father would betray you like this!"

"We still don't know for sure if it's him." Saki pointed out.

"Unnn the evidence is pretty damming." Han-dae brought up.

"If anyone is to blame it's me." Lily sobbed.

 _"Lady Lily…"_ Tetora tried to comfort her a bit. "There's no way you could have known this would happen."

Zeno was still watching the entrance to the village. "Ryokuryuu still hasn't come back yet, but he isn't far." He noted, as Shin-ah had only just arrived.

"Anything?" Kija asked his dragon brother, who reluctantly shook his head.

"Jae-ha's coming back now." Shin-ah replied. "He said he wanted to do one more circle around before stopping."

"Can't blame him, after all this is his wife we're talking about." Valerie sighed and crossed her arms. "We still don't have a clue where they could be… And it might start getting dark soon."

"Well I'm not giving up." Hak growled as he stood up. "White Snake, I think it's our turn to go searching."

Kija nodded, but was cut off as Jae-ha landed in front of them, looking clearly exhausted and holding himself together.

"I take it you didn't find anything?" Hak asked.

The Ryokuryuu just shook his head. "…. No, not a blasted thing. Of all the times for this damn dragon's blood to be useless…" he hissed rather low. "Whoever took them really knew what they were doing about covering their tracks. I haven't seen a thing anywhere, not a camp or anything that looks like a place to hide…"

Kija had to nod at that. "If only we could sense the princess the same way we can sense each other…"

"Jae-ha, you should take a rest." Valerie grabbed at her brother's arm, but he pulled away.

"No, I just came back to see if you guys had any luck." The Green Dragon replied, but then saw Hak shake his head. "Alright then, I'll go do another check- ** _ARRGGGHH!_** " there was a strange feeling in his body as if lightning had struck it and he nearly fell over, he was caught by Valerie and Hak who noticed he was about to collapse.

"Dammit Droopy Eyes, you're not going to help your wife any wearing out!" Hak protested. "Take a rest… _Wait_ … Are you ok?" he then noticed the Ryokuryuu was holding his head.

"… Jae-ha? What's wrong?" Valerie noticed it too as the Green Dragon let out a cry of pain, clutching at his dragon leg. "What's going on?" she then turned to see the shocked expressions on Kija, Shin-ah and Zeno's faces as they felt something as well.

Whatever was causing Jae-ha's sudden attack must have subsided, because he caught his breath and his eyes were wide with realization _. "…. I know where Yona is…"_ he breathed. " **Shin-ah!** " he cried. The Seiryuu nodded, climbing on his back right away as the two dragons took off without another word.

"… What the hell?!" Hak cried.

"What was that all about?" Mundok asked, everyone else of the Wind Tribe were just as confused.

"Jae-ha wait I'm coming too!" Kija seemed to snap to attention and raced off in the direction his brothers left.

 _"… I don't get it."_ Valerie rubbed her head, turning to the last remaining dragon with them. "What just happened?"

"How does he know where Yona is?" Lily asked.

Zeno stood there for a few moments, his expression softening to a sad smile. _"… Ryokuryuu… Has just been born."_


	7. Ryokuryuu Is Born

_"… Where is everyone? Jae-ha? Hak? Where are you guys…?"_ Yona found herself all alone in the dark, shivering as it was cold. "What happened? Lily? Yoon? Shin-ah? Kija? Zeno? … Why am I…. _All alone…?_ " she whimpered, lowering her head as she saw something in her arms, cradled close to her chest. _"… Wait… What is…?"_ she gasped at the tiny green dragon with streaks of red on it, she stared in awe at the baby dragon until she realized just who that was. " _Are you…?"_ she whispered, and amethyst eyes that mirrored her own looked up at her. The princess found tears forming in her eyes, realizing this was the baby Ryokuryuu inside of her that she was holding right now. It wasn't the first time she saw the dragon warriors in dragon form when she was unconscious, she saw her Four Dragons before when she had gotten her back wound in a dream once. "It's ok, I won't let anyone hurt you…"

The tiny dragon nuzzled against her, wrapping its tail around her form making Yona giggle. "Are you trying to protect me? … I should be the one doing that for you, you're not even born yet and you already want to perform your duties as a Dragon Warrior…" That touched her so much, and she hugged the dragon tighter. "I promise I'll take care of you…" she closed her eyes and enjoyed her moment with her unborn child.

" _Yona…. Yona!_ Yona wake up!" Yoon's distant voice eventually shook her awake.

" ** _Ah?!_** " Yona's eyes flew open, shocked at what she saw before her. The boy genius was hovering over her, trying to shake her awake. Behind him were several people she'd never seen before, but she assumed were bandits with the way they were dressed. They seemed to be inside of a cave somewhere, and she could hear running water nearby. "… Yoon… Where are we?" she asked, feeling her swollen stomach to confirm her baby was still there, and a timely kick told her yes. "The last thing I remember was passing out at the room and…"

"I'm pretty sure we were drugged." Yoon said with a dark look on his face. "I have no idea where we are, just these guys are holding us hostage." his eyes strayed over the group and slightly further, to where his bag of supplies and Yona's satchel were being kept. "They have my bag over there…" He muttered quietly, knowing that her dagger was in there and trying to figure out a way to reach it so they wouldn't be completely defenseless. "I blacked out shortly after Shin-ah suddenly collapsed, and when I woke up with this killer headache it was clear someone slipped something into our food. I only woke up recently myself, are you feeling ok?" he asked, poking around her stomach. "Hopefully the drug didn't affect your pregnancy…"

"I feel ok… I think." Yona shivered a bit, there was a burning sensation in her stomach along with pain. "What do you think they want with us? And how did they get into the Wind Tribe to begin with?"

"So you're awake…" a man approached them, his arms folded over his chest.

Yoon narrowed his eyes. "Wait aren't you…?"

"You're Hakuyo, Ayame's father right?" Yona asked. "What's going on here?"

"What's going on is for the good of the kingdom." A voice said from around the corner, once the man came over Yona took a sharp gasp. It was Kye-sook, Soo-won's advisor. "Princess Yona… We meet again."

" _Wait_ … That guy… He was in Xing with the king…." Yoon's eyes widened.

"What do you want with me and Yoon?" Yona scowled at the dark-haired man. "Have you been threatening the Wind Tribe?"

"Well they have been harboring an enemy to the crown." Kye-sook replied in a calm tone. "You see, ever since the incident in Xing I've had my informants in the various tribes keep an eye out for you and Lady Lily. Initially they gathered information about the Four Dragons, but then I found out you're with child… Now I see that is true, and that child is a threat to King Soo-won's rule."

"Yona hasn't done anything to merit your kidnapping her!" Yoon shouted. "She could have outed Soo-won a year ago for the traitor he is when he killed King Il! But she hasn't! Yet you guys ousted her from the castle!"

"Il was a terrible king." Hakuyo spoke up. "He let this land go to ruin, and the last time we took in the princess due to Lord Hak and Lord Mundok's whim, the Fire Tribe attacked our merchants and cut off our water supply! My son got injured during that attack, and my daughter has been labeled the fiancée of the traitor to the crown due to the rumor that Lord Hak was the one that killed Il and took the princess."

"But Hak didn't!" Yona shouted, shutting her eyes as she felt another wave of pain. "And I left the Wind Tribe for that reason! So you all wouldn't be hurt anymore!"

"But you came back… So when I heard that you arrived in town, I immediately informed Advisor Kye-sook." Hakuyo revealed. "I gave my daughter the spice laced with a sleeping drug as she was preparing dinner with all the other members of the Wind Tribe, knowing it would make them sleep through the night so we could extract you from the village… Just these men took the wrong girl at first."

"Lily…" Yona gasped, and the pain was getting worse as she felt another tug at her stomach. "What did you do to her?!"

"She is safe with the Sky Tribe, I just told them that you had kidnapped her." Kye-sook explained. "Her father has wondered where she has been when she disappeared a few days ago. But I found this strange letter in her room that I couldn't completely decode, but with my sources figured out one part… That she was meeting with you in the Wind Tribe, so when I got word from Hakuyo it just confirmed it. I hired mercenaries and bandits since certain members of the Sky Tribe is still slightly loyal to you, after all they refused to kill you back when I found you that time during the Xing incident…"

Yona bit her lip just recalling that, when Kye-sook tried to say she was a spy until Lily spoke up for her. But that just confirmed that Lily must have accidentally left her letter somewhere and even in code it was discovered. She should have told Lily to dispose of that letter after reading it! Why didn't she think of that?! "Lily will tell Soo-won the truth." She decided to take a gamble, after all Soo-won didn't seem so eager to kill her back there that time during their discussion about Xing. "How will you talk your way out of that one? Because I highly doubt Soo-won will like you taking matters into your own hands."

"Lady Lily has no idea you were taken, as she wasn't even awake when I handed her off to the Sky Tribe. Sure, she may tell his highness that she was meeting you, but when she comes back to the Wind Tribe you'll be long gone… _Without a trace."_ Kye-sook said rather darkly. "Make sure she isn't found, and kill the boy too. I don't even know why you fools took him as well."

"Simple, that boy was the doctor of the group, heard it from this guy." A black-haired bandit with a broken nose and a slash mark crossing his left eye, obviously their leader, pointed at Hakuyo. "That girl is ready to pop that baby out and we can sell it for good money on the black market, up to three times what you're paying us."

A fire ignited in Yona's eyes as her rage exploded with one of her waves of pain. " ** _YOU CAN'T HAVE MY BABY!_** "

" **Yona!** " Yoon tried to hold the redhead down as she tried to jump up, knowing it would be foolish to rush the bandits… Also she was whimpering in pain again as she clutched his shoulder. " _Oh no..…._ Are you getting contractions?!" he gasped with realization, feeling her stomach and fear ran through his body as he realized with the liquid pooling under her that her water had just broke.

"See? The girl looked like she was about to go into labor and we were right." Another one of the bandits said. "Once the brat is out of her we'll kill them both and take the kid to sell off."

Kye-sook hissed at that, turning to glare at the leader now. "Gomura, you were paid more than enough for your services, now just kill her already. King Soo-won does not need her child out in the world that has a claim on the throne!"

"No one will know it's her kid, besides we'll sell it the Kai Empire." Gomura smirked. "And if you get any funny ideas buddy, remember you're outnumbered here." He made a gesture with his hand, and his men were already drawing their swords.

Kye-sook looked around him, weighing his options. It was clear he couldn't take on the bandits himself and getting the Sky Tribe Soldiers involved was a clear no. "…. Hakuyo, make sure they kill the princess and that her body is not found. Keep it quick, before the dragons can arrive and rescue her. I will expect a report from you. By the way, where is the letter I gave you? It must be burned to leave no evidence."

Hakuyo twisted his mouth. "In all the confusion I seem to have lost it. But when I return to the Wind Tribe I'll be sure to cover my tracks and find it... As for the princess, I guarantee that she breathes her last within the day."

" **You bastards!** " Yoon growled. "How could you do this?! Yona is your princess and yet you're all so eager to serve her head on a platter?! She's giving birth here!"

"King Il ran this country terribly, while sheltering and spoiling his little princess." Kye-sook replied with a stern look. "King Soo-won was what this country needs, and I won't let his hard work go to waste on this whore just because she can have an attempt at the throne with her little brat." He then headed for the exit. "I need to return to the palace before King Soo-won notices I've been away too long, also so that I arrive shortly after the Sky Tribe… Just make sure the princess never sees the light of dawn again." And with that, he left.

" ** _BASTARD!_** " Yoon held Yona's hand as she screamed in pain as the contractions were getting worse for her. His mind was racing now, he had to figure out a way to get himself and Yona out of here, but it was impossible to run right now with her going into labor. He was afraid this could happen with all the stress they'd been under and how much Yona was pushing herself that she could go into premature labor. For now, all he could do was stall for time and pray Hak and the dragons would find them. "When the dragons find out what you did to us, they'll slaughter you all."

"They'll never find this place." Hakuyo replied. "It's well hidden behind the waterfall, even if someone were to go behind the waterfall, there's a false wall of rock so they'd just pass it up, not knowing it's a cave." He then turned to the bandit leader. "But we better hurry this along and kill her before they do find us."

"…. I need my bag." Yoon spoke up, still trying to soothe Yona a bit by petting her hand. "You assholes want her baby right? Well it won't do any good if it doesn't make it out! Now bring me my bag!"

"No funny stuff, kid." Gomura said, bringing the bag over and setting it down next to Yoon.

The boy genius immediately dug through his bag and panic set in when he realized Yona's dagger wasn't in there, they must have searched the bag and took out anything that could be used as a weapon including his tranquilizer darts. He cursed his luck, after all that might have been a way to defend themselves.

" _Yoon…."_ Yona whimpered, forcing her eyes open through the pain. "Yoon, whatever happens…. Please… Get my baby out of here." She sobbed. "Don't let them get my child! Get it to Jae-ha and Hak immediately…"

"What are you saying Yona?!" Yoon hissed very low while getting a few tools and supplies out. "I'm not leaving here without you!"

"We both know that's impossible…" Yona bit her lip to keep from screaming after another wave of pain. "I won't be able to run in this condition…. But if I can distract them and you can run with my child…. Please…" she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't care what happens to me, just save my baby!"

" _Yona…."_ Yoon felt his heart sink, her words were all too true. Giving birth was going to zap all of her strength and she'd be lucky to even be fully conscious after it. "… I'm not giving up on you, besides Lightning Beast and those exotic beasts _HAVE_ to find us! We just need to stall as long as possible…"

"Yoon… Please promise me you won't let them get my child…" Yona sobbed, then screamed from another contraction. "Tell Jae-ha I love him, and that I'm so sorry…." She choked, tears flowing like a waterfall down her cheeks.

"Don't say that! And tell your damn husband yourself when we get out of here!" Yoon hissed as he went to work, giving her a powder to take for the pain. "It's not like you to give up like this!"

Yona couldn't help but giggle a bit at that, squeezing his hand as she felt immensive pain between her legs as it was clear something was passing through there. "I'm not giving up… Just I have to face the fact that this could be it… If they don't find us in time I have to do everything I can to protect my baby…" she whimpered thinking about that dream she just had, perhaps a sign that her baby sensed the danger they were in? After all, Yona knew she'd gotten out of near death situations before, it figured that one of these days she might not make it. And this felt like it, it didn't help that her body felt like it was being ripped apart during the birthing pains.

"How much longer kid?" Hakuyo growled at Yoon, standing near the boy with his hands on the hilt of his sword, as if ready to draw and threaten him.

"You'd think a guy that has kids would know this isn't a fast process." Yoon snapped. "Besides we're dead anyway no matter what I do, you're just going to kill us both the minute you get her child, right?"

"Yes, but the difference kid will be a painful death or a quick one." The scar-faced man said with a sneer. "Just remember, no funny stuff or we'll just deal with trying to get that brat out of her ourselves."

Yoon bit his lip and growled, he knew he had to stall some more and was glad Valerie told him a few things to help him with this process. He talked Yona through the delivery, trying to soothe her and instruct her when to push. Eventually the cries of a newborn could be heard. Yoon stared in amazement at the baby he now held in his arms, he didn't have a clean towel to use but had a small blanket in his bag that he used to wrap the baby up in. Yoon couldn't help but find it odd how the little bit of hair on the newborn had strands of green and red, as if hair from both parents. His eyes strayed though to the child's right foot and his heart sank. There were green scales on the baby's foot and half of its leg. _"…. I'm so sorry, Jae-ha…."_ He whispered, tears in his eyes that their fears had come to life, Yona's baby was the next Ryokuryuu and that meant Jae-ha's days were numbered.

Yona seemed to just barely register what Yoon said, tilting her head in confusion but her eyes were hardly open at this point. "Yoon… Is that…?" she breathed, her eyes fixated on the bundle in his arms.

"… It's a girl, Yona." Yoon forced a smile, handing the newborn to her.

" _Lina…."_ Yona's eyes were shining as she weakly held the crying baby in her arms, using the name she had already chosen for the newborn. "… So beautiful…." She sobbed, worried this would be the first and last time she'd see her daughter. She also cried for the fact that this should be the happiest moment of her life… And she should be sharing it with her husband right now, instead of fearing for her life and protecting her daughter. She found the strength inside her though to clutch at her baby protectively, and gasped when she saw Yoon stand up in front of her with his arms outstretched.

"…. Move, boy. We're taking that kid." The bandit leader said. "And the bitch, we could easily sell them as a package deal to Kai. In fact if you cooperate we'll have no reason to kill you, as you could fetch a good price yourself with those looks and your skills."

"Hold on!" Hakuyo hissed. "You are supposed to kill the princess and that boy! Advisor Kye-sook's instructions were-"

"You think we give a damn what that guy says?" Another bandit laughed creepily, stepping forward and blocking Hakuyo's way. He then saw the Wind Tribe member furrow his eyebrows and reach for his sword, but not fast enough - he couldn't even draw it before he coughed up blood, looking down to see the bandit drove a curved blade right through his chest, up to the hilt. "Now shut it. We can sell both the mother and daughter together for a great price, or if she resists too much, we can just kill her and still sell the baby. Either way, we win." The bandit chuckled.

"You're not getting Yona or her baby!" Yoon proclaimed, trying to keep his composure after he watched the bandits kill Hakuyo in front of them. "You'll have to kill me first!"

"Yoon no!" Yona cried, holding Lina close. "Run away! Get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you Yona, I meant that." Yoon said, turning to the princess. "Besides… That idiot husband of yours has to be on his way…. Lina's the next Ryokuryuu." He replied with soft eyes. _'If I can distract them long enough, Kija and the others will sense Lina if she's one of the dragons…. It doesn't matter if they kill me, Yona and Lina will be safe…. Ik-su…. I wonder if you'd really be proud of the man I've become after all this time….'_ He smiled a bit just thinking about that.

"Yoon!" Yona cried, trying to get up but she had no strength.

One of the bandits kicked Yoon right in the stomach though, causing him to land next to Yona on the ground. "Stay down, brat. If you value your life…" Gomura stepped closer and threatened the boy with his sword, then pointed it at Yona instead. "Hand over the baby sweetie and maybe we'll spare you both." He said, but it was obviously a lie. They were either going to try and sell her off to Kai or just plain murder her, and seeing how she'd rather die than hand over her child, it was obvious what they were going to do…

"I'll never let you have my daughter!" Yona cried, and right then Yoon forced himself back up, headbutting one of the bandits in his way and once more standing in front of the princess as a shield.

"Fine, you asked for it." The scar-faced man, raising his sword ready to strike down Yoon who closed his eyes and braced for impact… And it didn't come as several of the bandits started screaming in pain.

 _"What the…?"_ Yoon gasped as he opened his eyes to see that several bandits fell over or threw themselves at the ground, holding their heads and screaming. Then a flash of green came crashing in, knocking aside the few still standing, sending them crashing into the cavern walls. The boy also heard a choking noise and saw why Gomura didn't attack - he had several knives embedded in the back of his skull, plus one jammed right through his neck. He never let go of his sword, but couldn't slash before falling over forward, landing flat on his face with a blood pool forming under him, right at Yoon and Yona's feet.

Yona gasped as her eyes widened at the sight of that familiar weapon she knew all too well. Her heart fluttered as she looked up to see the scowl of her husband that had a murderous look in his eyes for the man that tried to kill Yoon. "That wasn't very beautiful there, so I gave you an unbeautiful death. The same fate lies with everyone else here that tried to harm my wife and our Mother Yoon." The Ryokuryuu said in a menacing voice, behind him the Seiryuu nodded in approval of his words as he took down a bandit with his sword.

" ** _JAE-HA! SHIN-AH_**!" Yona cried, sobbing happily when she saw her two dragons striking down bandit after bandit.

Shin-ah didn't have his mask on, just walking towards them and using his powers on any of the bandits that dared to attack. Ao jumped off his shoulder and came over to nuzzle Yona's cheek. "Yona… Yoon…. Are you ok?" the Blue Dragon asked as he approached them.

"Yeah…" Yoon sighed in relief. "You guys just made it. You really had to make quite the entrance, didn't you? Are you ok?"

"…. My body is getting a bit paralyzed from the backlash…" Shin-ah replied, he had overdone it earlier with his sight just trying to find them after all.

"Shin-ah! Stay with them for now!" Jae-ha called out once he landed and kicked over two more bandits with his dragon foot. He was trying to take out as many as possible before checking on Yona, after all he couldn't afford to get distracted right now. And a rage was burning inside him from them taking his wife in the first place.

Yona couldn't help but smile as while she'd never seen her husband so enraged during battle, she knew he told her once before that anyone that dared threaten her or their child forfeited their lives in his eyes, even though he found taking a life an unbeautiful thing to do. But the bandits provoked the dragon's wrath, and they were paying the price for it.

"They're monsters!" Several of the bandits tried to reach the exit, losing all will to fight after the death of their leader, but were blown back by a huge white hand as Kija came rushing in, followed by Hak and Valerie.

"Geez, they're all here." Yoon chuckled, bending down to check on Yona and the baby. "Yona, are you alright? You're probably still in pain and exhausted but…"

"I'm ok… I think…" Yona sobbed, finding herself smiling though. "I'm just so relieved! Oh Yoon I thought they were going to kill you back there!" she hugged him with one arm as she held her newborn with the other.

"… Same here… But I gladly would have laid down my life for you and Lina…" Yoon said, taking the child from her to give her a rest. He blinked as Ao crawled onto his shoulder to peek at the newborn.

"Yona, Yoon, are you guys alright?" Valerie came rushing up, two katana blades in her hands. "We tried to rush here as soon as possible, just Jae-ha's faster than us…"

Yona nodded. "We're fine, but Lily is…"

"She's safe." Hak replied, fighting off a bandit with his glaive. "We found her while searching for you two. Zeno's back at the Wind Tribe with her right now."

 _"What a relief…"_ Yoon sighed. "Also you guys went all out…" he remarked once they made short work of the bandits.

"Who else is left?! How dare they try and take our princess?!" Kija growled.

"Settle down White Snake, we got them all." Hak rolled his eyes, sighing with relief to see Yona and Yoon safe.

"You all came just in time…" Yona choked. "They were going to…." She looked at Yoon for a moment who still held her baby girl, but then her eyes found Jae-ha who just stared at her for a moment and came rushing to her side, taking her fragile form into his arms and holding her tight. " _Jae-ha…._ " She sobbed. "… I was so scared I'd never see you again."

"…. I am never leaving your side ever again, no matter how much you try and make me." The Green Dragon said in a strangled voice, kissing her right away with all his love. "… That… Was too close, I don't know how many more times I can handle nearly losing you, Yona dear…" he said when he broke the kiss, his violet eyes staring into hers as he was crying himself with relief at finding her alive and well. His hands caressed her cheeks and he dipped in to kiss her again and again.

"But you found us…" Yona choked, kissing him back and smiling wide. "I love you so much."

"I love you." He replied, slowly letting go of her. "Are you hurt?"

" _No…_ " Yona shook her head. "Just tired… After all." She giggled and held out her arms so Yoon could hand her Lina. "… I just gave birth to Lina here."

The little baby made a few noises as she wasn't crying anymore, reaching out her hand to touch her mother's face now. Her eyes then fixated on her father's, the same hue of purple in her eyes that matched both her parents.

Jae-ha smiled warmly at his wife. "…. She's absolutely gorgeous, just like you love."

"So it's a girl!" Valerie exclaimed. "Isn't that great?"

"Suppose so, I'm just relieved the princess is alright." Hak sighed.

"Trust me, had Lina not suddenly started coming out of her they might have just went ahead and killed us…" Yoon shivered. "They were greedy and wanted to try and sell Yona's baby, Kye-sook hired them to kidnap Yona and kill her here where they wouldn't find her…"

"Those scoundrels!" Kija growled.

"Had I not gone into labor right then, Kye-sook would have made sure I was killed right here and now." Yona brought up. "He only left as he couldn't wait around for me to give birth since the bandits insisted on taking the baby once they knew they'd only have to wait a little while for Lina to come out."

"Sounds like little Lina here knew Mommy was in danger." Jae-ha chuckled a bit as he caressed the newborn's head. "… So she did what was needed to call Daddy to come save them."

Yona gasped at the meaning of his words, putting them together with what Yoon said before. "You sensed her when she was born! Because she's-"

"The next Ryokuryuu." Hak finished for her. "Zeno told us after these guys ran off the minute they felt it."

"Lina lead us right to you, my love." Jae-ha said with a soft smile, kissing Yona's temple. "We were frantic, looking everywhere and this was the last place we'd think of… Who knew there was a cavern behind this waterfall? Shin-ah didn't even see it at first as from first inspection it looks like a dead end, but it was a false rock wall that could be moved. That's why I took Shin-ah with me once I sensed Lina here… With his sight and my fast travel, we got to you just in time…" he stroked one finger on the newborn's cheek. "Clever little girl knew just how to call Daddy and her uncles… Just like when she saved you back in Xing, she's already dedicated to protecting you."

"She saved both our lives this time Yona." Yoon chuckled at that. "I guess a premature birth wasn't so bad in this case after all… Still you need to get some rest after all that."

"I suppose so." Yona conceded, she was sore and exhausted after all. She couldn't help but lift the blanket a bit and take a look at the tiny right dragon leg on Lina. She had caught a glimpse of it when Yoon was holding her before he wrapped the newborn up in a blanket, but she wanted to see it up close herself, and finding she adored it just as much as her husband's green scaled leg.

Jae-ha himself looked slightly enamored by the baby Ryokuryuu, touching the tiny green foot with one finger. _"…. The dragon's leg is so small…"_ he muttered, then smiled at his wife. "I think I finally see how you can find it cute Yona dear." He teased, after all Yona was always trying to convince him that his leg was beautiful.

Lina giggled a bit from her father's touch, flailing her arms and legs around a bit. Ao jumped back over to Yona and swished her tail a bit over the baby's face, tickling her a little. _"Pukkyyuuu…."_ The squirrel purred.

"She really is our little miracle." Yona cried happily as she hugged her baby girl, kissing her forehead. "Thank you for being born and helping save both me and Yoon."

Hak was frowning when he discovered the body of Hakuyo. "Ayame's going to take this hard…"

Valerie nodded. "… But this confirms our theory that he was the traitor to the Wind Tribe."

"Which means it should be safe to return at least for tonight." Yoon brought up. "Yona's gonna to need some time to recover not to mention the fact that Shin-ah's paralyzed right now."

" _Sorry…_ I guess I overdid it." Shin-ah said as he was being supported by Kija.

Hak shook his head, coming over to assist. "I would have done the same had I been the first one on the scene. We better head back to the Wind Tribe then to regroup."

"Alright, but we can't stay at the Wind Tribe for long… Kye-sook will be checking up to make sure if I was… _Disposed of_." Yona gulped.

"Alright, I'll take Yona ahead back to the Wind Tribe. Zeno's still there with Lily and her bodyguards." Jae-ha said, lifting Yona into his arms as they all started heading out of the cave. He then gave his wife a kiss on her forehead. "You can rest easy now dearest, it's over and you're safe. Just hold onto little Lina for me."

"Alright." Yona smiled as she closed her eyes and rested against her husband's chest, holding their daughter tight in her arms. The baby cooed softly, as if she knew that everything was finally alright. "You're safe now Lina, right here where you belong…"


	8. No More Secrets

" _Ahhhhh!_ " Lina squirmed a bit and made a few noises in her father's arms as she got a bit restless.

" _Shhh… Mommy's sleeping little one…"_ Jae-ha smiled at the baby Ryokuryuu in his left arm as he stroked his sleeping wife's hair with his right hand. Yona had just fallen asleep not long after they got back to the Wind Tribe, after Lily was apologizing over and over again for being careless with that letter and was so glad to see the princess safe. Zeno had wanted to see the newborn right away, though he seemed surprised for some reason. However, Yona was exhausted after giving birth and everything else that happened while she was kidnapped, she needed to rest first. Knowing this, Jae-ha took his wife to Mundok's place immediately, staying by her side the entire time, watching over Lina so she could relax.

Jae-ha couldn't help simply staring at his wife, studying her features and watching her breathing as he took a sigh of relief. After all he had just gotten the scare of his life when she was taken and it was brought up that he and Shin-ah might have been too late had Lina not been born right then. He was also impressed by the little baby in his arms for protecting her mother this way, and was just thankful that she was able to basically call out to him to save them both because she was the next Ryokuryuu… But it did just remind him that his time with Yona was very limited now. He struggled a bit holding Lina with just one arm so he had to withdraw his hands that were brushing Yona's hair to hold his newborn daughter with both, he was worried he could hurt the little baby or drop her, but he didn't want to let go of either of them right now. He smiled as he watched Lina twitch and move in his arms, her dragon foot slightly poking out of the blanket.

"Little miss is asleep now?" Zeno poked his head in. "Mister and the others just got back."

"She passed out recently, might as well let her get some rest." Jae-ha whispered as he slowly rose from the bed and walked to the doorway, still carrying Lina carefully in his arms as he approached his dragon brother. "Hey Zeno… I didn't get a chance to ask you before due to Yona being so tired but… You seemed… Surprised when you saw Lina. I mean, weren't you there when Hiryuu's children were born?"

"Oh that." Zeno chuckled and closed the door after Jae-ha stepped out. "… Yes Zeno even held Hiryuu's son a few times and watched him grow up, even helped Guen babysit once. But they were just human, much like Hiryuu himself but without the red hair…" he noted, brushing his fingers over the little bits of crimson hair on Lina's head. "And all the descendants of Guen, Abi and Shu-ten always had their respective dragon's hair color. So Zeno found it odd that the little Ryokuryuu has green and red hair, when none of Hiryuu's descendants ever had his crimson hair… Zeno just finds that… _Strange_ … Very strange indeed."

Jae-ha blinked at that, tilting his head to the side. _"… Huh…_ Now that you mention it, she should just have my hair being the next Green Dragon… I didn't think anything of it at first since you said Yona is Hiryuu's reincarnation thinking that maybe his descendants at first had his hair color… But if that's true then… Just what is Lina? Is she just the Ryokuryuu or… Something more?"

Zeno smiled at that. "… Of course she is more, Ryokuryuu… She's the little miss and your daughter. And maybe because the little Ryokuryuu has some of the Crimson Dragon in her, Ryokuryuu's fate might be different than what he thinks…"

Jae-ha was about to grumble at him for being cryptic when Hak and the others joined them. "I see you all made it back safely."

"Is Yona ok? Please tell me she got some rest right away." Yoon brought up immediately.

"The miss is sleeping right now." Zeno said with a smile. "Anyway Zeno is going to see if food is ready!" he rushed off to the kitchen, knowing the others were going to want to speak with Jae-ha.

"Looks like you're adjusting to being papa quickly." Valerie teased as she walked over to her brother, looking at Lina in his arms. "She's so adorable, just like Yona."

Shin-ah came a bit closer and looked over the newborn, curious as Ao was perched on his shoulder. "… She's so… _Tiny_."

Kija just smiled at that, patting his brother's shoulder. "Yes but she'll grow one day to be a strong warrior like…" his words trailed off as he looked at Jae-ha sadly.

The Green Dragon just smirked. "Oh come on Kija, don't get sappy on me right now. We talked about this before, didn't we? Not to mention the fact Zeno was asking me how I was doing after I got back…" he shrugged. "I told you before I'm not going to let it bother me nor slow me down, when that time comes it comes. Besides, I'm glad it was Lina." He smiled at his daughter who cooed in his arms.

Hak crossed his arms, unconvinced by his answer. " _… Seriously, Droopy Eyes?_ You expect us to believe that you're happy holding the very thing that's killing you?" he twisted his mouth at that part.

Jae-ha chuckled and shook his head, caressing his baby daughter's head as he held her. "Oh now Hak, of course you'd be blind to the bigger picture. The little one here did the greatest thing in the world and her first act in life is something I'd gladly trade my life for..." he then looked right into the Thunder Beast's eyes. "Because she was the Ryokuryuu we found Yona, meaning Lina just saved her mother by merely being born... How can I hate Lina after that?"

Hak's eyes widened in surprise at that answer… And he really couldn't counter it at all, he'd feel the same way if it meant saving Yona. "…. Ok you have a point there… By the way, have you… Told her yet?"

"Just after she gave birth with what she went through?" Jae-ha looked at the Lightning Beast like he was crazy. "Look I promised to tell her after Lina was born but give her a bit of rest first. Besides the longer she can be happy just enjoying Lina before finding out what's going to happen to me the better… After all it won't be for at least a few more years at minimum."

Hak cleared his throat. "… I thought you said you're going to beat your predecessor's record?" he reminded him.

Jae-ha chuckled at that. "Awww don't worry Hak, I remember what you told me the other day. I promised I won't go down easily and by the way about that favor I asked of you… You do know I meant that only if you don't find happiness of your own so you don't stay lonely…" his eyes strayed to Valerie who looked like she was going to kill her brother if he said anything more.

"What the hell are you babbling about now Droopy Eyes?" Hak didn't seem to get it and grumbled.

"Nothing, he's just exhausted and talking out of his head." Valerie nudged in, offering to take Lina then. "You look tired brother dear, let me take care of the little one so you can go rest with your wife."

"I can always count on you, sis." Jae-ha smirked, then blinked when suddenly Yoon hugged him around the waist, Shin-ah hugged him from behind and Kija even joined in with a group hug, crushing him a bit with that dragon arm. "… H-hey come on you guys what are you-"

" ** _Oh shut up!_** You always shrug off your injuries and try to be the big brother of the group! You always try to protect all of us, and you've been downplaying what Lina's birth means from the moment we found out Yona was pregnant!" Yoon sobbed into his robes, burying his face into Jae-ha's chest. "Hak might be too stubborn to say it, but none of us want to see you die and leave us! Before we could deny it without confirmation that your daughter was the next Green Dragon, but now we know and… And…"

Shin-ah merely nodded, Ao poked Jae-ha's cheek and Kija was already sobbing.

Valerie giggled as she held Lina in her arms. "No getting away from this one brother dear and hiding your true feelings. We all love you and you better stay stubborn and live as long as possible."

"Speak for yourself, I just don't want the princess upset when he's gone." Hak denied it in front of the others of course, but he had already expressed his anger and sadness over the Ryokuryuu in private so no need to repeat that.

" _You guys…_ " Jae-ha felt tears creeping up in his eyes as he was touched from this, petting Yoon on the head. "… Hey, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I promise. I even said if I have a daughter with Yona dear I have to see her grow into a beauty, right? … Come on you guys if you're reacting this way just imagine how my wife is going to react…" he sighed, still not looking forward to that conversation. "I need you guys to stay strong for her, and protect her when I'm gone, along with Lina. Especially since Lina seems just as stubborn as her mother with insisting on trying to protect mommy before she's even born."

"Hey I already told you I'll always protect the princess." Hak said, placing a hand on his hip.

"Maybe I can tag along with you guys, after all you need somebody to help out with a baby on the road now." Valerie giggled, tickling Lina a bit as she held her. "It could be kinda fun."

"Well we all saw that you can hold your own in a fight, Val." Hak chuckled a bit. "So it's not like anyone needs to protect you."

"And if she did a certain Thunder Beast is more than capable of-" Jae-ha began but Valerie quickly stomped on his foot. " ** _OW!_** " he chuckled a bit that he pressed a button on his sister there, but then noticed how the others still didn't let go of them just yet. "Look, I really appreciate that you care so much, but I'm not the kind of person who would retreat to a little cell and live in fear of my fate for the rest of my days. We're all going to die one day, sooner or later, and I dare say we won't see it coming until it's too late anyway. But worrying about something like that would just bring down the mood... And drain everyone's happiness."

"And you don't want that." Shin-ah concluded for him.

"Not at all. For the same reason, I don't want you guys to mourn me when that day comes. I want you to throw a big party, drink, dance and laugh the night away. I want you to remember me for the way I lived, not for how I'll die." The Green Dragon revealed, his serious tone fading again. "And hey, if you get drunk and something happens on that night, that might balance out for my absence at the party."

"Always thinking about parties... Really, you're a disgrace..." Kija whimpered, hugging the group together with his dragon arm… And crushing them in the process as Yoon and Jae-ha protested.

Hak chuckled at the sight. "… I am so glad I didn't get caught in that."

Valerie smirked though. "Oh please, Jae-ha isn't the only one hiding his true feelings." She nudged him in the side.

"… It'll go to his head if I tell him again." Hak rolled his eyes.

Valerie chuckled at that response, cradling the newborn in her arms. "Sounds like you have brother dear's number alright."

"Hey everyone! Mister's grandpapa says food is ready!" Zeno poked his head back into the room with a smile. "Oh, did Zeno miss the Ryokuryuu group hug?"

"Zeno how are you able to stay cheerful considering…?" Kija's words trailed off as he released his brothers and Yoon from his strong embrace.

"Simple, Ryokuryuu doesn't want the others to be upset so Zeno is respecting that." Zeno replied with a smile. "Besides, none of the other dragons passed away while Hiryuu was born… Granted no new dragons were born then but there must be a reason for little Ryokuryuu being born now and since current Ryokuryuu doesn't want to fret about it, why make him upset with being so unhappy? Come on everyone, food is surely not drugged this time!"

Jae-ha just laughed as he shook his head. "Leave it to Zeno to understand, anyway you guys get something to eat and rest for the night, I'll stay here with Yona."

"Alright, but I suggest somebody take watch just in the event of another kidnapping attempt…" Hak's eyes looked rather dark. "Just because we found out who the traitor was doesn't mean there can't be more…"

"… I'll stay here." Shin-ah offered, still blaming himself for failing to protect Yona last time. He stood right by the door like a statue holding Ao with his head lowered but his mask still on so his expression was impossible to read.

"Alright Shin-ah, you'll take the first shift then I'll take over for you after we eat." Kija offered. "From there Hak can take over for me later into the night. At least this way Jae-ha will be with Yona and a second person will be right outside the door."

"Yoon and I can take shifts watching Lina for the night too." Valerie offered. "We can stay with whomever is on watch duty for the time being to give each other time to rest in-between. I'll handle the first shift so you can rest a bit after everything that happened after all."

"Alright Valerie, but I'll take over for a bit during Kija's watch so you can rest before taking over again." Yoon nodded, sighing as he looked over the newborn. "… Here we thought we could trust everyone here and Yona would be safe… It makes me worried, is there anywhere we can go where they won't be targeted? The threat is greater now than ever before, because of their possible claim to the throne."

"Not to mention the fact that if it's outed that Yona is Hiryuu's reincarnation and her daughter being one of the Dragon Warriors could sway the public opinion." Valerie brought up. "That could be why the king's advisor was trying so hard to be rid of her, from what you told us we'd best get out of here first thing in the morning so he doesn't find out those bandits failed."

"Agreed." Hak said, then nodded to Shin-ah and Jae-ha as he joined the others to head for the kitchen.

Jae-ha just sighed as he turned to his Blue Dragon brother, patting him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself Shin-ah. We all got drugged and didn't expect that to happen… At least we found them just in time and they're safe, that's what matters." He then blinked when he saw the Seiryuu looking at the door to Yona's room. "… Is something wrong?"

 _"… Yona is awake."_ Shin-ah replied. "She looks startled like… She had a nightmare…"

"… That's understandable with everything that happened. I'll go check on her." Jae-ha sighed as he opened the door and quickly closed it as he strolled into the room, smiling as his eyes met hers. "Don't worry love, you're here and you're safe. Sorry I left you for a moment to check on the others since they got back."

 _"Jae-ha…"_ Yona took in a sharp breath as she was sitting up and looked extremely pale like she was woken up by a terrible dream. Her mouth seemed dry and she seemed overwhelmed at the moment. "… W-where's Lina?"

"Valerie's looking after her so you can rest, you've had a rough day after all." Jae-ha answered, coming over to sit on the bed next to her, his hand caressing her back slowly. "Shin-ah's just outside to keep watch and the others are just getting something to eat before resting for the night. They'll be taking turns keeping watch over both you and Lina, and I'm staying right here." He lifted her hand to his lips to place a kiss. "As I told you I'm not leaving your side again after what happened last night."

Yona still looked like she was processing everything, and that she was exhausted. _"… Jae-ha…"_ her curious eyes looked up at him, sad yet questioning, as if she wanted to ask him something but was hesitating. She looked away for a moment but then built up the nerve. "… Is… Is something going to happen to you because Lina is the next Green Dragon?"

Jae-ha's heart stopped. This was _NOT_ the conversation he wanted to have with his wife so soon after nearly losing her. But he knew this was coming and he had been avoiding it long enough, so he sighed and merely smiled at her. "What's with that question all of a sudden love? You knew there was a chance that Lina could be the next Ryokuryuu, we spoke of this-" he stroked her cheek as he talked but was cut off as she grabbed his hand and was looking right into his violet eyes seriously.

"… When Yoon saw that Lina had a green leg he muttered that he was sorry for you." She answered, eyebrows creasing as she was trying to make it clear she wasn't going to buy any excuses he'd try to come up with. "And he's not the only one, Kija's been acting weird here and there whenever Lina's birth was brought up and if we spoke of if she could be the next Ryokuryuu. Also Hak's been acting odd ever since last week when you two sneaked off to talk… Jae-ha, what are you keeping from me?"

"…." Jae-ha sighed as he closed his eyes. Yeah, there was no getting out of this one. He had to finally come clean and tell her. "… Look before you get upset, I merely didn't tell you because you were pregnant after all and the stress wouldn't have been good for you. Remember Sara said back in Xing it was a miracle you didn't miscarry from all the emotional baggage you endured… I was going to tell you just… I didn't want to stress you any further after what just happened…" he slowly opened his eyes only to be greeted with her amethyst orbs right in front of his, pleading yet slightly angry.

"… We promised to be partners remember? That we'd trust each other and be there for one another." she scolded, glaring at her husband. "So tell me, what does everyone seem to know that I don't?"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry dearest." Jae-ha sighed and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down first. "Well to begin, what do you know of what happens when a dragon is born love?"

Yona blinked for a moment, recalling a bit of what she was told when she first arrived in Kija's village. "Well that the powers pass from one dragon to the other slowly. So Lina will come into her powers eventually but that means you'll…"

Jae-ha nodded. "Right, my leg will eventually become normal and I won't be able to reach the sky anymore. It won't happen right away, granted I'm not sure when she'll be able to reach the sky since my upbringing isn't the best guide having been chained down all my life." He shrugged. "But I'll be sure to teach her all I know, and of course it'll be adorable when she does dance around in the sky."

"Don't change the subject." Yona scolded him, knowing he was trying to distract her. "… But if it was just losing your powers Yoon wouldn't be that upset, so why was he…." She was trying to piece it together and seeing that serious face on her husband as her eyes widened with realization made it dawn on her… And tears started to fill her eyes. " _No…_ Does that mean…?" she whimpered.

"… It's not like you ever saw a second dragon in either Shin-ah or Kija's villages, right?" Jae-ha replied with a sad smile. "… Yes that's it. When my powers fully transfer to Lina… They're tied to my lifespan meaning I can't stay by your side forever like I originally promised Yona dear, I'm so sorry." He brushed his fingers over her tears that escaped her eyes. "But hey, I'm still here and it'll probably be a while before Lina fully comes into her powers right? I mean a child is hardly suited to protect you so this damn dragon's blood has got to keep me around for at least a good 5 to 10 years right?" he inwardly chuckled at cursing his dragon's blood as he hadn't done it in a while since embracing his feelings for Yona. "Besides you know me, I'm stubborn and refuse to let the dragon's blood tell me when to live or die!" he tried to joke.

But Yona didn't laugh, instead tears were coming out of her eyes like a waterfall. "You should have told me!" she nearly shouted, smacking her fists against his chest as she sobbed. "Why did you keep this from me for so long?! Here all this time I've been happy about Lina and here it's been… It's my fault you're dying! If only you hadn't been with me then…" she then buried her face into his chest and bawled out crying.

It broke Jae-ha's heart seeing his wife crying so much over him, and her reaction was just as harsh as he imagined. He stroked her hair for a moment and let her cry, then slowly placed his hands on her shoulders to pull her back to look at her face as he spoke. "But Yona love, I am happy about our precious daughter, in fact like I just told the others I couldn't be more proud or glad that Lina is the next Ryokuryuu. Remember what I told you before about my village? I never wanted another Green Dragon to go through what I did, and planned to get them out of there once I sensed them come into this world. So this would have happened anyway love. It happened when I was born, in fact I wasn't even related to my predecessor." He explained, stroking her cheek slowly as she sobbed. "You see that's why he used to beat the hell out of me, because I was _'sucking the life out of him'_ as he put it. He hated me because of that, but I refuse to be that way and decided long before I even met you that I'd take care of the next Ryokuryuu and never treat them that way. So now that she's my beautiful daughter that helped me save her wonderful mother's life, how can I not love her? Her first act in life was saving you, I'd gladly lay down my life for that love…" he then pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Besides, I didn't get to the part that we Ryokuryuu are stubborn as hell, most dragons only live 3-4 years after the new one is born, just ask Kija and Shin-ah. Whereas my predecessor lived until I was 12, and I just HAVE to beat his record because I'm far more stubborn and beautiful than he ever was." He snorted a laugh. "Not to mention the fact that it would be a grave sin if I didn't get to see our beautiful daughter turn into a vision of loveliness when she becomes a woman, right?"

Yona's eyes were still swimming in tears as she looked up at him, only registering the bad parts of what he just told her. "…. So Kija and Shin-ah eventually… Too? …" she sniffed.

Each time she sobbed felt like a knife cutting through Jae-ha's heart, his dragon blood didn't like it either seeing the Crimson Dragon so upset. _'Oh don't like it huh dragon blood? Well then you shouldn't have hurt her by doing this, because I sure as hell don't want to leave her…'_ he cursed his blood mentally again. "… Yes, eventually. It's been the fate of all the dragons outside of Zeno of course. He told us that he's watched many dragons come and go over the years…" Jae-ha explained but then blinked when he remembered something. "Though he did say something is strange about Lina… That none of Hiryuu's children had his crimson hair… Yet Lina does have some of your hair." He shrugged. "Maybe it means something, also Zeno said something about the original dragons outlived Hiryuu and their successors weren't born until years after that. So it's actually… _Unusual_ that Lina is the next Ryokuryuu, that's also why I didn't want to worry you about it in the event she was born just a normal child… But she clearly is a Green Dragon, I sensed her and that green leg sure is hard to miss." He chuckled, kissing away Yona's tears. "Yona darling, this would have happened eventually and like I said, I'm glad it's our lovely daughter. She'll be safe and raised with us, she helped us save you and Yoon and she'll grow to be the most beautiful Ryokuryuu."

Yona just kept looking at her husband sadly, and her tears just wouldn't stop coming _. "… Jae-ha…."_ She choked out before burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry…. If only I wasn't the reincarnation of Hiryuu then… Why oh why does this have to happen?"

"… I knew you'd blame yourself about this, and that's the last thing I want you to do." Jae-ha sighed as he pet her hair. "Love, had you not been the Crimson Dragon we probably never would have met… I'd never want to trade your love for anything in the world, princess of my heart." He moved his hand to lift her head a bit to kiss her passionately on the lips. He could taste the wetness of her tears that had smeared over her face and her arms wrapped tightly around him, not wanting to let go as they only parted lips for desperate need of air. "I promise you though that I will try to stay with you as long as I possibly can, and you know how stubborn I am. My stubbornness can rival yours at times, it's why we know when we can't talk each other out of something." He winked at her.

That got Yona to smile just slightly. "… I'll be holding you to that… _Husband_." She choked as she was still crying. "You promised to be my legs until I no longer need you…. And I plan on needing you for a long time still!" She tried to joke but she kept sobbing while saying it.

Jae-ha smirked at that, chuckling as she reminded him of his promise that day he rescued her. "Well the dragon's blood can't make me a liar to the Crimson Dragon, can it?" he kissed around her face some more, trying to clear up her tears.

"… Don't ever keep something like this from me again, ever." Yona scowled as she tried to get her crying under control. "No more secrets husband, I mean it. No matter how much it's going to hurt me I want to know."

The Ryokuryuu smiled, stroking her cheek with his hand as he wrapped one arm around her back, holding her close. "Alright, I'm sorry my love. I'll take my punishment however you see fit but I must say even through a sea of tears you're still just as beautiful as ever my lovely wife. Just like that night in Awa you first cried on my shoulder." He was getting a bit nostalgic thinking of that night only a few days since they had met. "I think you first started capturing my heart right then and there and I was doomed to fall in love with you more and more each passing day."

Yona choked back a sob as he actually made her giggle this time. _"… Charmer."_ She said, kissing his cheek.

The Green Dragon winked at her. "Always at your service." His lips traveled all around her face before settling on her lips again, though keeping it brief this time. "You're the loveliest woman I have ever known, and I couldn't be happier with anybody else, that's why I married you, Yona dear." He said with a loving look in his eyes that caught sight of hers still brimming with tears. "And little Lina is just proof of that love, I've never felt more alive than I have by your side. I've known about my fate all my life, Yona-chan. It's why I always live life to the fullest and never wanted to be chained down against my will ever again, to decide for myself what I do with the short life I've been given. And I choose to spend whatever small amount of time I have left with you because for once in my life I have a home with you by my side." His lips brushed against hers again, and she eagerly responded with a deep kiss.

"Jae-ha…. I love you so much…" Yona sobbed a bit when their lips parted, but she was silenced by one kiss after another.

After leaving his wife breathless with his passionate kisses, he smiled and eventually pulled back just to stare into her eyes. "As I love you, Yona dear. In this life and the next my heart is eternally yours."

Yona felt those tears still forming in her eyes, but smiled as their eyes met and her heart was both touched and breaking at the same time. The guilt was still washing over her about his fate, and she was still upset there didn't seem to be a thing she could do about it. She hated being helpless and unable to help those in need, and this time she hated it most of all. What good was being this great Crimson Dragon if she couldn't save the people she loved? Why did this curse have to haunt the dragons that they lived such short lifespans? Was her daughter going to suffer the same fate? Why was her daughter born a Dragon Warrior if during Hiryuu's last life no new dragons were born until after he died? Why did Lina have part of her crimson hair if that was so rare? How long did Jae-ha have left? She had so many questions… And it occurred to her there might be one person to get a few answers….


	9. Where We Go From Here

The sound of birds chirping outside alerted Yona that the dawn had risen… But she had been protesting getting up despite having been awake for a while. Her body was still rather sore from giving birth of course, but the real pain was in her heart over what she had discovered last night… That her time with her husband had been cut drastically short and that she may only have a few years with him before his powers passed onto their daughter and he… _Would die_. Her eyes were sore from all the crying last night as Jae-ha held her the whole time, soothing her with words of love and assuring her it would be alright. She had soaked his robe with her tears at one point, but he didn't seem to mind and by now it had dried as her ear was pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She stayed laying on top of him with her arms still tightly wrapped around his body, refusing to let go. She had cried herself to sleep this way, clinging to her Ryokuryuu the whole time.

Jae-ha was charmed by her reaction and felt the same way, not wanting to let her go either due to having nearly lost her yesterday… But he knew they had to get up eventually and he had woken up a few minutes ago but could tell she was awake. He smiled and brushed his hand over her hair as he broke the silence. "… We should probably get you something to eat, and then see our little girl. Can't take advantage of my poor sister's hospitality forever after all." He tried to joke.

Yona shivered as she realized he knew she was awake by now, but her arms just tightened around him more despite her body aching in protest. _"… You're right."_ she choked, feeling the tears creep back up that she was fighting. It hurt to even speak because she felt like the dam would burst once again and she'd start crying once more.

"If you can't move I can always carry you, after all being your legs is the loveliest duty of all." Jae-ha offered, looking into her eyes lovingly as she slowly opened them.

Yona chuckled softly. "You're always eager to offer that… Husband." her laugh though was rather weak, as her heart was still aching from what she knew now. She lifted one hand to attempt at clearing her tears that crept up to hide them from her husband, since several times during their night she'd just start breaking down crying again and it caused a painful look each time from the Ryokuryuu.

Jae-ha caught her hand, he had the same idea and in trying to brush her cheek, their fingers met. "And it's a duty I am always proud to perform... Besides, it is a small price to pay for your love..." He kissed her other cheek.

Yona's heart skipped a beat as he caught her hand, flushing as she looked right into his eyes and several of the loving words he said to her came flashing back. _'I love you Yona dear, with my whole heart, I will always come back to be by your side, because here is my home and you are the part that makes me whole, you complete me in ways nobody else can... I may only have a few years left to live but I wouldn't spend them with anyone else, because you give me something more important than anything in the world, your love.'_ And goddammit that dam burst again, her tears started flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall. " _Jae-ha..._ " she sobbed.

The Green Dragon frowned seeing her crying once again, he pressed his lips against hers as he stroked her hair once more. " _Yona…_ Hey, I'm still here you know!" He tried to joke, but it was only a reminder of what she'd learned last night.

"I know…. I'm sorry." Yona sniffed, trying to get her crying under control. "I just can't stop when I think about… **Oh Jae-ha!** " she buried her head into his chest, letting out a loud sob again. She had done this several times during their night, and she was cursing herself that she kept causing him pain seeing her so upset. She kept growling mentally at herself to just stop crying already, but that just seemed to make it worse as her tears would just keep coming, as if her heart was bleeding through her eyes from what she found out.

 _"Yona love…"_ Jae-ha frowned, feeling like his heart was being cut with a knife seeing her still so upset. He knew she was holding back last night, and this proved it beyond doubt. He touched her chin with two fingers to turn her towards himself. "It's natural to be sad, but this is also why I didn't want to tell you. If you're already like this, how much will you cry when I die? I don't want you to stay sad forever... You have a life to live, people to help and support, Hak, Yoon, and you have other dragons that need you, too. Not to mention you have our beautiful daughter to be there for. Plus I promised you I'll try to stay by your side as long as humanly possible. In fact we all don't know when we'll die right? I mean we've been in so many life and death situations it's a wonder we've made it this far."

Yona choked another sob, rubbing her eyes as she tried to clear the tears again as she nodded. _"… You're right…_ I'm sorry…" she sighed, trying to get control of herself. "... I finally understand why you live every moment with no regrets, how you can be... Well... The way you are..." she chuckled lightly. "I promise I won't stay like this forever Jae-ha... Finding this out, I'm glad... That you became my husband and that we have Lina… Because like you said, another Green Dragon would have been born anyway and she wouldn't be our precious daughter…" she smiled weakly, trying to hold back more tears that creeped up. "I just can't help but feel so…. _Helpless_ … That I can't do anything about it."

"I know, but that's how it is and I accepted my fate a long time ago." Jae-ha said with a sad smile and pet her on the head. "This isn't your fault love, and I'd feel worse knowing you blame yourself when I'm gone. Instead I want you to look back at all the times we've had together as fond memories and continue on with your life. If you happen to fall for someone else don't feel guilty my love, I'd feel far worse knowing you spent the rest of your life a lonely widow, you're far too beautiful and young for that."

"…. This is why you kept pushing me towards Hak, isn't it?" Yona asked, thinking back to all those conversations they had and how the Green Dragon kept trying to make sure he was the one she wanted.

"Well obviously he could grow old with you, that and I knew how badly he had it for you." Jae-ha chuckled, stroking her cheek. "… But you made me the luckiest man alive when you chose me instead. I just didn't want you to regret that choice." He frowned, obviously thinking that with how much pain the news of his eventual death was causing her.

"… I still don't regret it." Yona said, reaching up to take his hand and in hers. "I love you with all my heart Jae-ha, and I'm glad you took me as your wife. Knowing our time is cut short, I'm glad we didn't hesitate and took the risk. Every second is precious with you, and when the time comes we'll meet each other in the next life, I know it."

Jae-ha smiled at that, kissing her lips once again. "That's my girl. Let's stay here a bit longer, ok?"

Yona flushed and nodded, laying against his chest as she let out another round of crying though, laying there as her husband pet her hair and allowed her to just bawl out her sadness.

* * *

Yoon was staring at the hallway as the others were gathered around the table eating. "… Yona and Jae-ha are sure taking a long time."

"Let them be." Valerie said, cradling the baby Ryokuryuu in her arms. "They had the scare of their lives yesterday so they could use some time alone." She sighed, having heard crying from outside the room when she stayed with Hak on watch. She knew by the look on Hak's face when he muttered _'He told her'_ that Yona had discovered what will happen to her husband in possibly just a few years.

Hak himself said nothing, knowing that the princess was probably horribly upset right now, and he couldn't blame her. Ever since the Green Dragon told him what would happen he knew it was going to cause her great pain, and Hak wondered if Yona would ever get a break at this rate.

 _"… They're coming."_ Shin-ah said after a moment of silence.

" **Yona**!" Lily cried as the redhead was being carried by her husband.

"Hey everyone sorry we're late, I'm not completely recovered just yet." Yona said with a smile that was clearly forced as she tried to keep her voice cheerful. "Oh wow there's just so much to eat thank you Mundok for helping us. Oh Valerie, Yoon, thank you both for looking after Lina."

 _"…. She is not alright…"_ Hak muttered, having seen the princess force a smile like this before. He could tell she was clearly still upset.

"Princess did you sleep ok?" Kija asked.

"Of course I'm fine." Yona said as Jae-ha placed her down onto a chair. She then reached out her arms as Valerie came over. "Oh Lina, you look so beautiful!" she said as she took the newborn into her arms, now she had a genuine smile on her face just from seeing her daughter.

 _"Ahhhh!"_ the child cooed in her mother's embrace.

"She's been missing you all morning." Valerie chuckled. "Yoon and I had some trouble at first getting her to stop crying."

"Zeno even tried making little Ryokuryuu laugh." Zeno brought up.

Lily got up right away and came over. "… Yona, I'm still so sorry about everything that happened. This was my fault-"

Yona shook her head. "It's alright Lily, I told you last night. We're safe and Lina is ok, that's what is important… I just don't think we can stay here with Kye-sook going to check back in a few days."

Mundok nodded. "… As much as I wish to say for you to stay here, I'm afraid you are correct."

"So where will we go from here?" Kija asked. "The princess needs some time to rest after having just gone through childbirth."

Yoon nodded. "I agree, traveling won't be a good idea on a newborn like we usually do."

"Well, Yona dear mentioned she has someplace she'd like to go." Jae-ha spoke up, they had talked about this before coming down to breakfast.

"… I want to return to Ik-su." Yona spoke up, stroking her daughter's tiny red and green hair. "How does Lina fit into his prophecy and more importantly… Zeno you said it's strange that she has my hair." She looked up at the Yellow Dragon.

"… None of Hiryuu's children even had that red pass down, Zeno did find it strange." The Ouryuu shrugged his shoulders.

"You think Ik-su might have some answers?" Yoon asked. "I mean it wouldn't be a bad idea, after all it won't hurt to check up on that idiot priest to see if he's gotten into another accident or forgot to eat again…" clearly the boy genius was worried.

"Lily you should probably return to the Water Tribe, after all they came looking for you." Yona suggested.

Lily twisted her mouth at that though. "… Alright, only because I don't want to cause you trouble. But still send word to me if you do need my help ok? If you need shelter come to Sensui and I'll make sure you're safe! I promise I won't fail you this time!"

"Oh Lady Lily, you're too hard on yourself." Tetora sighed.

"It might be best for them to stay on the road, with the advisor having spied on us he could discover them there." Ayura pointed out.

"But what after that, princess?" Hak asked. "We can't just hang out at Ik-su's forever. And the last time we hung around the Fire Tribe trouble happened, so I doubt we can just hide there again."

"… We could go back to my village." Kija spoke up. "The princess would be protected there, and her child looked at as a gift from the heavens being the next Ryokuryuu. She would be safe for sure."

"Well not many have been able to find your village." Yona seemed to like the idea. "I think that will work great Kija, and it will be a place we can keep Lina safe for a while."

"Especially with the winter coming up, traveling with a baby during that time will not be a good idea." Yoon added.

"Alright then, that's settled." Jae-ha said as he wrapped an arm around Yona, reaching to tickle their baby girl that squealed. "From what I've heard of Kija's Village they're going to just love you, Lina-chan."

"Yona, if you don't mind I'd like to come with you." Valerie then spoke up. "I know a thing or two about babies being a healer and all, and I can help Yoon out treating these guys when they get beat up in battle."

"I'd love to have you with us." Yona said with a smile.

"Welcome to the Happy Hungry Bunch sis." Jae-ha chuckled. "Are you sure you're not offering to come with just to be close to Ha- ** _OW!_** " Valerie kicked him in the shin under the table.

"Well I'm going to get some supplies for our trip, want to help Valerie?" Yoon asked.

"Sure thing, come on Kija and Shin-ah, you two can help us gather everything!" Valerie said as she grabbed each of the dragon's arms to pull them along.

"Zeno will come help too!" Zeno said, going along with the group.

"Valerie's so eager to help, I'm glad she's coming with us." Yona chuckled, adjusting her hold on her baby girl.

 _"… Are you alright, princess?"_ Hak asked with a rather serious look.

The princess just tilted her head. "Huh? I'm fine Hak, really. I had _SOME_ training back in the palace as far as holding babies and all, since it was expected of me to have children with whoever would have become king as my husband. So don't go saying I'm going to be a klutz as a mother or something." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"… That wasn't what I meant…." The Thunder Beast sighed, looking to Jae-ha for a moment. "… Droopy Eyes told you what's going to happen when-"

 _"It's alright."_ Yona interrupted him with a soft voice, her eyes showing she was ready to start crying again but was staying strong. "I'll be fine Hak, thanks for your concern really. But right now I need to think of what's best for Lina and keeping her safe. _Besides…_ We had a long talk about that." She said, giving a loving look to her husband as he brushed her hair with one hand and hugged her close with his other arm.

Jae-ha then chuckled. "And before you ask, yes she did chew me out for not telling her sooner Hak… But she understood why. After all we couldn't compromise Lina inside of her, our little miracle of love." He took the newborn from his wife's arms and nuzzled her face. "Oh you're just as beautiful as your mother." He whispered to the child as he kissed her face.

Lily twisted her mouth. "… Well, at least he's an affectionate father… Still doesn't change the fact that he got Yona pregnant at a terrible time." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Are we going to start that again Lily dear?" Jae-ha sighed and shook his head.

"Jae-ha are you sure you're ok with Lina?" Yona asked, after all she wasn't sure just how much her husband knew about children outside of the few things she saw Yoon and Valerie try to tell him while she was pregnant. "I can hold her just fine if-"

"I'm fine Yona dear, while you were asleep I figured things out pretty quickly." Jae-ha chuckled, adjusting his arms so that he held the newborn in both now, bouncing her up and down a bit. "Besides who do you think used to help Val back in Awa when she first started learning to become a healer? I'm sure I can handle-" he was cut off as Lina spit up all over his face and robe right then…

Hak had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing like mad. "I think karma is finally coming back at you, Droopy Eyes, since now your oh so beautiful face is going to be a target for your daughter." He snorted a laugh.

"I'll take her." Yona quickly grabbed her daughter and sighed at the look her husband had at his unbeautiful moment. "You go ahead and clean yourself up Jae-ha." She sighed and turned to her daughter. "… That wasn't nice to do to papa…."

" _Ahhhhh!"_ Lina just cooed, smiling once again as she wiggled her dragon leg that poked out from the blanket.

 _"…"_ Jae-ha let out a sigh, part of him groaning but he couldn't be mad at the adorable child in front of him. He then pet his daughter on the head. "Better me than mommy since she's still recovering. I'll just be a few moments dearest." He then stood up and headed off to go clean up and change his clothes.

Hak waited for the Ryokuryuu to be out of sight, and for the others around the table to eventually go on to their duties or other such things, until they were basically alone except for Ao who remained on the table looking at Lina every now and again, squishing her tail in front of the newborn.

"… Are you really ok, princess?" the Lightning Beast asked.

She sighed but nodded. "I told you Hak, it's alright."

"I can tell when you're putting on a brace face, plus I could hear you crying outside your room last night." Hak brought up. "… It's ok. None of us are just fine about him dying like this but it's not your fault."

 _"I know…"_ Yona lowered her head. "… And it's not that I blame Lina either, Jae-ha even said another Ryokuryuu would be born eventually but… I want to go to Ik-su and see if there is something that can be done. I can't just sit here powerless knowing about this happening, and Zeno even said the original dragons passed away after Hiryuu so there must be a reason Lina was born right now. Also…" she smiled as Lina grabbed onto a bit of her hair and tugged a bit. "Kija's village should have records of other Dragon Warriors, maybe we can compare the record and see if… We can get an idea how much time Jae-ha really has. But I won't just give up, there has to be something I can do." She looked up at him determined.

 _"Princess…"_ Hak seemed at a loss for words. "… Alright, just know… I'm still here for you, ok?" he took her hand and smiled. "And Lina too. I should be charging you triple pay for such protection." He joked at the end.

"Well sorry Hak, I wouldn't pay you with my body back then and I sure am not doing it now, I'm a married woman." Yona teased back, sticking her tongue out at him as she recalled when she asked him to stay by her side when they left the Wind Tribe together. "You should work on finding yourself a wife instead."

"How can I when the girl I already love is taken?" Hak countered, which made Yona flush and look to the side. "Unless you're making an offer when Droopy Eyes drops dead, after all that idiot tried to talk me into going after you when he's gone." he groaned though just thinking about that conversation with the Green Dragon.

Yona's jaw nearly dropped to the table. " _Wait_ \- Is **THAT** what you two were arguing about last week?! He told you to do what?!" she really wanted to strangle her husband right now. _'Of all the things to say to Hak! That wouldn't be fair to him at all! I know he loves me but **ARRGGGHH JAE-HA!** '_ she was clearly going to give her husband a piece of her mind later for that…

"What can I say? Your husband has a sick sense of humor." Hak sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "He was so focused on making sure you're taken care of when he's gone his mouth started running without thinking."

"I'm sorry Hak." Yona whimpered, holding Lina close. _"… I'll have a talk with my husband later…"_ she growled. "But really Hak, I'm sure he only meant it as if you… Didn't have someone for yourself, but I could never ask that of you! I already told you I wanted you to one day have your freedom back and I know you won't leave my side but if you ever did find someone I really do want you to be happy. I mean if you have a chance at a life with someone or wish to marry…"

"If this is about my engagement to Ayame, that's been called off." Hak growled at the mere thought. "Besides that was arranged by the old man in the first place. She has someone she likes already, and honestly I could never trust her after what happened…" his eyes trailed off, feeling a bit guilty for scaring her before but after her father's betrayal he just didn't know who or what he could trust.

 _"Hak…."_ Yona looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry I never noticed your feelings… I still am sorry about that. But don't let my rejection keep you from your own happiness one day. I'm sorry things didn't work out with Ayame but don't close yourself up to trusting others." She then smiled. "I mean look at me, you said yourself I have terrible taste in men but I'm still happy with my husband. Sometimes it just happens when you least expect it, or even with the person you least expect that you thought was just a friend."

"What's this about lovers and friends?" Jae-ha came back to the table, having just freshened up.

" _Huuusssband_ , we need to have a little **talk**." Yona said with a slight glare on her face.

The Green Dragon sweatdropped. _"…. Oh dear, what have I done this time?"_

"What haven't you done?" Hak countered, then got up from the table. "I'll leave you two, have fun at your funeral, Droopy Eyes." He pat the Ryokuryuu's shoulder as he strolled outside. He then looked up at the sky, thinking over what the princess said _. '… Well, he did say he was going to try and last a long while… And even then I doubt I could do such a thing to the princess so soon after her husband would be gone… But really, as if I could let such a thing get in the way right now when Soo-won is still out there and…'_ he had often thought he might strike down Il's murderer, that way the blood wouldn't be on Yona's hands. But then she said she didn't want revenge, so what should he do?

"You look lost in thought." Valerie broke his train of thought as she came up behind him. "What brings you out here? You never rest with your guard duty and doing a patrol?" she joked.

"I take my work seriously." Hak said, holding out his glaive as if to stress that.

"Really huh? I can remember when a certain Thunder Beast was complaining to me how he didn't want to be a general." Valerie chuckled. "But then one day changed his mind and suddenly became a bodyguard to boot."

"Hey weren't you the one trying to convince me to take it?" Hak countered, placing a hand on his hip. "… Especially when I told you about the princess."

"Funny how you omitted the fact she was a princess when you spoke of her." Valerie smirked, nudging his side with her elbow. "You just said she was a girl from another tribe. I found out from the others here that it was Princess Yona you were with when I asked why you weren't here."

" _Oooohhh_ so you missed me huh?" the Thunder Beast smirked. "What is it Val, I'm your best customer or something?"

"Hell yeah, I can get you to buy all I want and you're the perfect shoulder to cry on." Valerie countered with a snicker, then sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "… I dunno I always just felt ok talking with you about anything. Something about you is just safe I guess, no wonder you're a good bodyguard."

"Well I don't come cheap." Hak chuckled. "And currently I'm still employed, but since you're coming along with us I can offer you a discount." He winked.

"I can handle myself thank you very much." Valerie stuck her tongue out at him. "That and I have a dragon brother in case you've forgotten that will gladly protect both me and his little wife, not that I need protecting."

"Yeah I remember, the only time you break down is when you have those panic attacks at night." Hak recalled that time she stayed at the Wind Tribe and had an awful flashback. "Well you can do what the princess did and share a tent with Yoon, since I bet White Snake would panic if a female slept in the same tent with all of us."

" _Awww_ sure you're not trying to get rid of me Hak?" Valerie bat her eyes playfully. "I don't bite, I promise."

Hak looked to the side as he chuckled from a memory. "Funny you nearly knocked my jaw out that time you had a panic attack at night and-"

Valerie blushed and quickly covered his mouth _. "… And you promised not to breathe a word about that."_

"I wasn't done, there was also the tournament…" Hak muttered.

" **Enough**." Valerie hissed slightly as she lowered her hand. "Hey I'm always grateful for those few times you saw my bad side alright? Just know I'll always have your back and be there if you need help." She said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "You've always been a good friend to me Hak… _And I don't want to screw that up."_ She then blinked when Yoon called her over as he finished with Shin-ah, Kija and Zeno packing things up. "Catch you later." She winked, heading over.

"… Screw that up?" Hak muttered, blinking in confusion at her words. _"… What the hell does she mean by that?"_


End file.
